"What is the first media review?" Alex asked urgently, trying to deflect his own embarrassment.Joseph finally remembered the reason he had come downstairs. "It's the review from 'USA Today'.""USA Today" is a general-interest color daily newspaper founded in September 1982.Thinking of the review in the paper, Joseph's expression stiffened, and he looked hesitantly into Hugo's expectant eyes.Actually, Joseph had originally worried that Hugo would care too much about the media reviews, to the point of not eating or sleeping well, and seeing Hugo's obvious dark circles confirmed Joseph's thoughts.But then Joseph thought about the changes in Hugo over the past six months; he knew that Hugo was no longer the playboy he had known before the Golden Raspberry Awards."The review isn't good. It was written by Mike Clark," Joseph decided to tell the truth. He was the agent, but he was also a partner fighting side-by-side with Hugo; he needed to face various situations together with Hugo.Besides, even if he wanted to hide these reviews from Hugo, he wouldn't be able to."He said, 'This two-and-a-half-hour film isn't tight enough for more than half its runtime, but Al Pacino still perfectly portrayed the character!'"This was not a positive review. The smile on Hugo's face immediately froze. Before Joseph had finished, he changed his tone and continued, "Out of a hundred points, he only gave it fifty."This was a failing score.Charlize and Alex were both stunned, clearly not expecting this situation.Instead, Hugo let out a sigh of relief. After his tense emotions had reached a peak, this direct impact actually made him relax.Only then did Hugo remember that although "scent of a woman" had won much praise, the slow pace of the entire film was indeed criticized quite a bit; the overly slow progression in the first half hour of the film was even described by some as "sleep-inducing."However, even so, Al's superb acting was not overshadowed, which was an expected result."Whew, fifty points. Not good, but not bad." Hugo relaxed, his smile returning as he sighed, though there was inevitably some disappointment in his eyes."Hugo, 'USA Today' is a general-interest newspaper, not a professional media outlet. Don't take it too seriously."Charlize had been studying acting and learning about the entertainment industry for the past few months; she was no longer the novice who knew nothing about American film as she had been before.Therefore, the clever girl immediately grasped the crux of the matter and said positively.Alex's eyes also lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, exactly. Who knows where that Mike Clark popped out from. If you ask me, just ignore this review completely!"Faced with everyone's comfort, the disappointment in Hugo's eyes was released along with his smile. This time, he smiled sincerely, "Don't worry, I know the media isn't that easy to please."So-called film critics mostly pick bones in an egg, because that is their job, and film critics are also ordinary people who have their own preferences, which is unavoidable.Hugo said this to comfort his friends, and also to comfort himself, "At least he didn't attack my acting again, did he?"Hugo's words made sense, but theory is one thing, and when something actually happens, it's another.Although Hugo was trying hard to liven up the atmosphere, the living room inevitably still felt a bit down.Joseph looked at the brightly smiling Hugo and secretly let out a sigh of relief. Recalling the tide of criticism after "hudson hawk" was released, Hugo was right about one thing just now: although "USA Today" didn't praise Hugo, at least it didn't nitpick him again.This was a positive signal.If even Hugo, the person involved, could be optimistic and positive, he, as the agent, couldn't lose his composure. So Joseph also pretended to be relaxed and said, "The first wave of reviews will be coming out one after another, so let's wait a bit. How about it, what are your plans for breakfast? We can't skip breakfast just because of those troublesome media outlets, right?"Actually, after getting up, Hugo hadn't even washed up yet, and neither had Charlize. Alex still had foam residue on the corner of his mouth after brushing his teeth. Reminded by Joseph, everyone finally noticed their oversight.Hugo, Charlize, and Alex looked at each other, and Hugo was the first to dash toward the bathroom.Charlize, following closely behind, shouted while running, "Ladies first, ladies first!"And Alex, who was a beat slower in reacting, yelled even louder, "I just need to wash my face, just my face..."But in the end, the bathroom door was ruthlessly closed; Hugo, being the fastest, had taken the lead.Only Charlize and Alex were left standing at the door, looking at the wooden door with depressed expressions.Joseph looked at the lively atmosphere in the room, and his mood also eased a little.After everyone had washed up, Joseph toasted bread, prepared milk and cereal, and sat by the dining table. Actually, there still weren't enough bar stools on the third floor; there were still only two. Because the dining table was too high, the remaining chairs weren't suitable, so usually only two people sat, while the others found various places to sit.For example, Hugo sat on the sink counter and kicked Charlize's bar stool, "Pass me the bread, and the peanut butter.""Why should I?" Charlize turned back and rolled her eyes at Hugo, as if she couldn't be bothered, but her hands were already picking up a slice of bread and starting to spread peanut butter.Hugo saw this scene and laughed happily. But after Charlize finished spreading it, she made a "tch" sound, "It's not for you, why are you so happy?"Hugo watched helplessly as Charlize was about to put the bread into her mouth. He immediately jumped down from the sink, muttering with dissatisfaction. But as soon as his feet hit the floor, Charlize turned around and handed the bread to Hugo, leaving him stunned.Charlize held the bread in the air for about two seconds, and seeing that Hugo didn't reach out to take it, she raised an eyebrow, "Don't want it?"Hugo finally reacted and quickly took the bread, "Want it, of course I want it. Thank you! Thank you very much!" Then he bit into the bread and leaned against the sink counter, chewing contentedly."Joseph! Phone call for you, I..." Carl's voice came from the doorway. Seeing several people sitting around the dining table eating breakfast, he immediately began to grumble discontentedly, "You didn't even call me for breakfast!"Then, without saying much else, he walked straight to the dining table and started reaching for the toasted bread, but he was slapped hard on the back of his hand by Joseph. Carl stared at Joseph with wide eyes.Joseph, biting his bread, said unhurriedly, "If you want bread, toast it yourself!""Then I won't tell you the content of that phone call just now. It's news about the first wave of movie reviews, oh."Carl had answered the phone upstairs just now and found that Joseph wasn't there, so he had come straight downstairs wearing jeans and a T-shirt.Faced with such a Carl, Joseph calmly pushed the whole plate of toasted bread toward him.Carl then smiled contentedly. He picked up a piece of bread and found the strawberry jam. Facing the expectant gazes of the four people and eight eyes around him, although Carl felt a bit unnerved by the staring, he tried to keep his composure and slowly spread the strawberry jam. He waited until the veins on Alex's forehead began to bulge before he spoke, "The office just called and said, 'The review from the Chicago Sun-Times is out.'"Although the "Chicago Sun-Times" was just a daily newspaper published in the Chicago area and wasn't even the top-selling newspaper in Chicago, nor was it a professional film newspaper, its film reviews were highly regarded.Because legendary American film critic Roger Ebert contributed to this newspaper.The sixty-year-old Roger Ebert was one of the most famous film critics in the United States. He was the first film critic in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, and the film review program he produced also won an Emmy Award nomination. He could be described as one of the most influential film critics today.Therefore, when hearing "Chicago Sun-Times," Joseph immediately became nervous, "Roger Ebert's review?"Even though he kept saying he didn't care, he didn't care, any film was created by the entire crew pouring in countless efforts, and as one of the most important parts of it, the Actor naturally hoped their work would be affirmed.Especially after the terrible review from "USA Today," Roger's review became even more important.Not to mention Joseph, Hugo, Charlize, and Alex also stopped chewing and looked at Carl.Carl nodded, "It's Roger. He said, 'At the end of this work, "scent of a woman," we have once again arrived at the stereotypical ending of a coming-of-age film; we have once again arrived at the stereotypical ending regarding a preparatory school. But what's different is that this film possesses a wisdom and technique that other works of the same genre do not.'"Carl's words were quite long, and after hearing them, everyone didn't speak because they weren't sure if Roger's review was praise, criticism, or mediocre."He also said, 'Al delivered the most unforgettable and brilliant performance of his career, and Hugo,'" Carl paused here, looked at Hugo, and then revealed a smile, "'Hugo's superb performance and Al sustained the entire film!'"This was good news; Roger had straightforwardly praised both Al's and Hugo's performances.Carl looked at the suppressed smile on the corners of Hugo's lips, and he himself couldn't hold back anymore, so he didn't play coy anymore and said eagerly, "Roger gave the film eighty points!"Eighty out of one hundred points, this was truly the best news.Compared to the terrible evaluation from "USA Today," the review Roger wrote for the "Chicago Sun-Times" successfully saved Hugo's morning.
