As Good As It gets

Author's note: I now have a p-word as you all know, so if you feel like reading 8 advanced chapters for $6, or 5 advanced chapter for $4, then feel free to join. Link is in this fic's summary, or you can just search 'Archonstine' on patreon... whatever floats your boat!

Also, join my discord will ya? For movie and tv-show recommendations and character images. And also it's the one place where I ask you all for suggestions. The link is in this book's bio.

P.S, donate some power stones while you're at it. And maybe... write up a review?

12th December 1997 (Friday)

Hugh Boyle (POV)

7:52

Fuck.

8 more minutes… just 8 more, and I get to know whether it worked or not.

For the past month, I have tirelessly slogged, worked 90 hours a fuckin' week, and logged in more overtime than anyone else… ok nope, I'm pretty sure my diligent team has logged in similar amounts, if not falling short by a few scant hours at most.

Nevertheless, I have committed my blood, sweat and tears to this endeavor… quite literally in case of the latter, if I account for my girlfriend dumping me for 'valuing my work over her' or some shit. And you know what?

She was goddamn right. I'm a 26 year old marketing major with barely any experience, living quite literally paycheck to paycheck in LA's cutthroat housing market… so of course when a guy from college calls up and offers me the opportunity to head the PR department at his newly inaugurated production house, I accept near instantly, dropping my job in a heartbeat before making my way over to 'Midas Productions' to work for arguably one of the smartest men I have ever met in my life… Ricky.

I was finishing up my masters in marketing when he was 15, and I still remember it like it was yesterday… The press stormed around the gate of the campus, converging on a kid who wouldn't look out of place in a high school… all the while he embodied grace and dignity, not flinching even once at all the hubbub and attention he was showered with at such a tender age.

We weren't friends… not really. Barely acquainted even by the time I left my college for the big bad world. Only met a handful of times really, and though we remained cordial, I never felt like I had made a significant enough impression on him, to reach out to me personally… it was truly a shock to the system to hear from him that fine morning, the event all the more vivid in my mind because the second I received his call, I was actually watching a news channel covering his movie's box office performance after winning the 'Golden Lion' (and what a shitstorm that was).

Next thing I knew I was embroiled in work, mind-grinding, physically demanding work that cut a massive swathe into the life aspect of my work/life balance… and rightfully so, considering what we were trying to accomplish.

I never really felt the need to complain though, nor did anyone else for that matter. Nearly every single employee was content with the near draconian work hours being necessitated currently and for the past 2 months, not only due to the galvanizing presence of our resident founder and CEO near constantly, but also the hefty financial benefits and work based incentives being handed out on a monthly basis. 

But more than that was the emotional attachment that several people formed to this production house. Considering the oldest employee at this firm was merely 38 (Yash Chauhan, our venerable Head of Marketing), and the average age of employees, both senior and junior was below 30, no one truly felt secure in their positions of power, since there was no experience or biological seniority to be paraded around to curry any favor, or secure opportunities. The work culture being fostered here was insanely meritocratic in nature, and anyone could rise up to any position at the drop of a hat, as long as the work they put in, or the idea they came up with was stellar enough.

Case in point, me. I was made the Interim Head of Public Relations, but Ricky made it abundantly clear to me at the time of hiring, that my position is strictly probationary for 6 months, before being locked in. And for the initial 6 months, I could be replaced by anyone on my team if he found my work subpar, or unsatisfactory in any way… hell no.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me. A senior position in a clearly up and coming underdog startup, with an insanely talented and connected man helming it… and all I have to do is cut back on the more social and leisurely aspects of my life for a measly 6 months, then I'm all for it. 

Screw you Stella. Rot in hell for all I care, and don't you come begging back to me once I put the down payment on a motherfuckin' penthouse in DTLA! 

Never needed you anyway… you dog-faced bitch.

All of a sudden, the door swings open with a bang as Jose enters frantically.

"HUGH! Hugh it's here! The announcement- it's fucking here-"

I jump off my brown cozy arm-chair and make a mad dash towards the entrance, "Get out of the goddamn way you- is everyone there?!"

He nodded wide-eyed, "Everyone is there Hugh jus- it's almost time, let's go!"

And together we jog over quickly to the conference room where almost every single higher-up is already present, seated around a round table as a few others are standing at the back, all eyes at the giant television screen on the wall adjacent to the door I entered through.

I quickly take my seat as Jose stands behind me, patting my shoulder in a show of support, as Ricky cranks up the volume.

"Indeed Tony, this piece of paper contains the names of individuals and films that after careful deliberation by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have been nominated for the prestigious and laudatory Golden Globes 55th ceremony, and so without any further ado, here are the nominees for television series-"

"Oh fuck off!" I scoff in frustration, as I am made to wait even longer for the film nominations, the suspense of it all suffocating me throughout. 

"Hey you Hugh!" A voice rings out across the room, as Ricky quips the same old joke once again.

"Heyyy, Ricky." I meet his eyes before releasing a deep breath, "I'm sorry it's just- the suspense, it's killing me man! I have been agonizing over it for the past hour- what's got you in such a peppy mood?" I ask.

He smiles, "Oh! I got a call from Nathan this afternoon. Apparently our gamble worked out perfectly. After 3 rounds of negotiations, we had finally managed to push ahead the domestic release of Catch Me if you Can to 5th December, and today concludes a week of its box office release. The screening for HPFA went splendidly as you know. So he called up to tell me that the wheels have been greased."

"Long story short, today is the day I become the youngest ever to be nominated for Best Actor in a Drama… I'm not winning anytime soon but a nom?" He chuckled briefly, "I got that in the bag- no! No please, for goodness' sake, no congratulations… not now. We see the fruits of our labor ripen together, before we finally fuckin' feast on them… understood?" 

A general agreement made its way across the room as he continued, "Daisy, sitrep, what's the status?"

Daisy, a slender blonde, barely crossing her 20s made her way over to Ricky before leaning down in a… tantalizing manner, and whispering in his ear… 

A brief dash of envy reared its ugly head before I ruthlessly squashed it… no distractions Hughie.

6 months… only 4 more to go.

Ricky nodded, "Yeah, good job." He glanced at the television before raising his voice by a notch to cut through every single ongoing conversation, "Everyone! Eyes on the prize people! And pin drop silence until the end."

"The movies nominated for Best Foreign Language category are-"

Ricky Stirling (POV)

" – Artemisia from France, Gorgo from Denmark and concluding the list, Hana-Bi from Japan! An enormous round of applause for these films and their creators, who have no doubt worked tirelessly to achieve such international distinction and widespread recognition-"

Huh. Nice… Seems like I might have just gained an ally in the East…

(Flashback)

"What is your point Ricky-San? Are you advising me, or diverting me-"

"Neither Kitano-San, I admire you far too much to play such games. All I am saying is that, Hana-Bi co-winning the Golden Lion, will finally ensure you can shed your widespread reputation as a famed comedian aside, and be taken seriously by the critics and industry professionals… but why stop there?" I passionately address Takeshi Kitano, and seeing his expression change to a more receptive one, I continue.

"You have won the Golden Lion, a distinction only 2 others from your nation have achieved before now, and one of them was the legendary Kurosawa-Sama. Japan will celebrate you, but do you truly want to stop yourself there? Do you truly want to confine yourself to the East, when the West can offer you so much more? I admire you Kitano-San, but I revere Kurosawa-Sama… his work has impacted not only mine, but several others' throughout the years… and he amassed such widespread influence by breaking into the Western market… so as a fan of yours, allow me to offer you this opportunity… Hana-Bi does not have to end its run here…"

He stared at me for a good few seconds before sighing, "What are you suggesting Ricky-San?" He finally asked.

Hook, Line and Sinker.

"The American distribution rights… allow me to purchase them from you- at a fair price!" I quickly put up my arms in a gesture of appeasement, breaking his perceived momentum to cry 'thief'. 

"We can discuss later Kitano-San. For now, let us enjoy the festivities at large, and toast ourselves with a well deserved drink!" I turn around to snag two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, but Takeshi stops me in my tracks… as he takes out a bottle of sake.

"Ah! Not that western swill boy! Today we have accomplished something magnificent… let me introduce you to the taste of Osaka!"

(Flashback ends)

After negotiating in authentic Japanese with a Tokyo accent, I managed to impress him enough and snagged a favorable deal. 

Long story short, on a budget of $2.3 million, it managed to gross $17.59 million in North America, gaining significant attention as a result, and thus managed to accomplish something it never did back in my OTL.

It got a golden globe nom for Best Foreign Film… and rightfully so at that.

Knowing Takeshi, he'll probably send me a gift once he gets the news, either a bottle of premium sake, or perhaps a prop from the television series he used to host a few years ago… a series I personally used to adore back in the OTL.

'Takeshi's Castle'... funny how things have a way of working themselves out I guess. Now that I have built a bridge to the East, all I have to do is maintain it in the upcoming years, and I will have access to the Birthplace of Anime… oh the syndication rights alone… not to mention how Takeshi Kitano turned out to be a friend of Hayao Miyazaki, a legendary animator who has impacted animation, arguably as much as Walt Disney has.

His animated movies have regularly grossed hundreds of millions worldwide ever since the advent of the 21st century with 'Spirited Away', widely being heralded as a masterpiece in storytelling and animation, and numerous other films… all of which could now potentially be distributed and introduced in the US by none other than me… 

Oh business truly is blooming, and will continue doing so, as long as I don't forget to plant new seeds, and water the soil on time…

"And now the nominees for Best Original Score-"

Aha! And now it begins…

"Catch Me If You Can by Ricky Stirling, The Doorman by Michael Klose-"

And that's the first one.

A series of muffled celebrations and affirmations break out in the room, before settling down instantly when I turn my head around and catch their eyes…

"For Best Screenplay, we have… Good Will Hunting - Ricky Stirling, The Last Run - Jenkins Mitzowski, Rudder in the Wind - Werner Pock-"

And that's another one… I have got high hopes for this one. 

…

"In the Best Director category we have… Rudder in the Wind - Jack Disco, Once upon a time… in New Jersey - Curtis Langford, Good Will Hunting - Ricky Stirling… huh. Anyways, Berlin's Call - Alejandro Martinez-"

No chance in hell, am I winning this one, not with Berlin's Call on the list. Considering this is Alejandro's long awaited comeback to film-making after a crippling rock climbing accident, and the fact that this is a historical period piece, about the Berlin Wall, containing agony and emotions, and brilliant performances- in short, it ticks all the boxes for Best Director and Best Picture. I'm like 90% sure it'll go on to win these 2 categories at the Oscars as well. Then again… you never know. 

At least I got the announcer to pause when he encountered my name for the 3rd time today… and for 2 different movies at that.

Hahahahaha- MWAHAHAHAHA- 

"Ricky! You're scaring them!" 

I pointedly chose to ignore Daisy, but nevertheless, stopped laughing like a maniac… I'm a good boss.

" – Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy. In the Male Category we have - Jeremy Cruise - Berlin's Call as Gustav Abb, Alfredo Pacino - Good Will Hunting as Dr. Sean Maguire, Ambrose Stirling - Catch Me If You Can as Frank Abagnale Sr., -"

…

"And now for the female category, Christine Cornish - Good Will Hunting as Skylar-"

Huh. It feels kinda nice to know that my film, my sophomore outing in Hollywood, was big enough to not only spearhead my own career, but even act as a big break for the cast involved in it. Al and Christine owe me big time… or do I owe them big time? Don't know. On the one hand, they couldn't possibly have gotten their nominations without me, on the other hand… my film was so enduring, partly due to the performances… I couldn't have done it without them.

Perhaps a gift basket is in order? A box of cigars and a bottle of wine for Al, but for Christine… oh hell no. If I get a gift for her, and my dear Sherry finds out… screw it. I'll get her some residuals from home video sales. I'm sure a couple of tens of thousands of dollars will suffice.

" – Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama… in the male category we have… Francis Kline - Rudder in the Wind as Tom Jones…" He paused for a second before smothering the mic in front of him and leaning in to whisper words into his co-host's ear.

A little lip reading revealed, 'You sure this list is… real? No typos or goof ups- No? You sure? 'Kay then.'

"Ricky Stirling - Catch Me If You Can as Frank Abagnale Jr., Perry White-"

Trenton Campbell (POV)

Oh damn!!! Fuckin' finally!

I knew it! I goddamn knew it- suck it Missy! You owe me 50 fresh green bucks! 

Oh, I told her… I told all of them. They were dead set on Ricky being nominated for acting in Good Will Hunting… pft.

He was good no doubt… but the others… they were just so much better. They dwarfed him on the screen in nearly every scene, except perhaps the hug scene… the emotional payoff in that alone… the kid was good.

But I know for a fact, that his performance in Catch Me If You Can, was far more likely to be nominated. For one, a majority of the screen time was dedicated to his character, considering it was essentially a fictionalized biopic. Also the fact that his acting had improved by leaps and bounds in the time between the 2 movies. A fact that I was privy to, on account of our regular interactions.

The rest of them on the other hand…Ha! Fuckin' amateurs, the lot of them. Daring to think that they know him more than I do… 

"And now ladies and gentlemen, the final categories of this night… Best Motion Picture. And for Drama, we have-"

This is it. This one category… time to see if our efforts to wine and dine the bald, pot-bellied, perverted, and downright racist members of the HPFA, paid off in any way…

"Berlin's Call… The Doorman… Good Will Hunting-"

"LET'S FUCKIN' GO-"

"OH FINALLY!"

"WE DID IT-"

I didn't bother shouting out. Quietly, but quickly, I made my way through the throng of people, hugging and shouting and everything, and reached him… He just sat there… calm, serene… as if a massive weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Without further reservations, I snagged him from behind, my arms wrapping around his frame as I hugged the ever living shit out of him.

He placed his hands on mine, squeezing them as he leaned into my embrace. 

We stayed like that for a minute, before Missy came in from the other side and proceeded to wrap us both in her arms… not a word being exchanged between the 3 of us. 

Not a word was needed… to express how we felt.