Chick flick

The Christmas lights decorated the streets and alleys with vibrant colors, but unfortunately, the city without snow always lacked a bit of holiday atmosphere. The mild winter in Los Angeles made Christmas look like a deserted island where Santa Claus would never visit. Hugo couldn't help but mischievously think that Santa Claus would melt away when distributing gifts at the equator.

Joseph returned to Los Angeles a day earlier than expected. Carrying his luggage, he went straight to the third floor and saw Hugo lounging on the couch, holding a box of potato chips and watching "Home Alone". Joseph was slightly taken aback and his lips curved into a faint smile. "Are you still a child? "Home Alone" is fine to watch once, but only kids would enjoy it after watching it multiple times."

Hugo didn't even turn his head and continued to watch the screen, laughing incessantly. It suited the holiday atmosphere. That hearty laughter indeed added some Christmas feeling to the house. It also helped relieve the tension in Joseph's shoulders, which hadn't relaxed much during his stay at home. "Why did you come back early? Wasn't your flight scheduled for tomorrow?"

Hugo raised the box of potato chips in his hand and offered it to Joseph. Joseph casually threw his luggage aside and sat down next to Hugo, reaching out to grab some chips. "Peter got into trouble again. He didn't come back on Christmas Eve, and later we were trapped in the house when some thugs from the underworld came looking for him. I managed to send them away."

If Hugo remembered correctly, it was Peter who had incurred gambling debts the last time. The plot of "Home Alone" on the TV screen had lost its appeal, but Hugo's gaze remained fixed on the screen while his thoughts shifted. "So you're back now, and everything is fine?" In theory, the Gibbs family needed Joseph at this time.

Joseph shook his head, his lips slightly pursed, revealing his helplessness. "My brother Paul is at home. He's already seventeen this year, and with him taking care of things, there's no need to worry. And there's Mary at home, she's the most capable one in the family now."

"Oh, Mary, is she doing well?" Every time Joseph mentioned his little sister, it was always filled with affection. Hugo had already grown accustomed to hearing about her.

Joseph chuckled lightly as expected. "She's... she's doing well, really well. She decorated the Christmas tree at home this year, and she did a great job." A hint of a smile appeared in Joseph's eyes, but it quickly faded. "It's just Peter... I don't know where he is."

That was also a downside of the early 1990s. If it were the 21st century, with such advanced communication networks, cell phones, and credit cards, they could be used to track someone's location. However, it was also criticized as the main culprit for forcing people to expose themselves. But in the current situation, finding Peter was not that easy for Joseph.

One could imagine that Joseph's large family didn't have an easy life. "Peter is already thirty, right?" Hugo spoke up, and Joseph nodded. "That's right, he has his own personality and abilities. You've done your best, and now it's up to him. You can't shoulder all the responsibility yourself. You're not Superman."

Faced with Hugo's comforting words, Joseph felt a bit lost. He looked up, his eyes filled with confusion as he gazed at Hugo. "Did I really do everything I could?" That question immediately struck a chord with Hugo, as family dynamics could never be measured by normal standards. Even if from an outsider's perspective, Joseph had done his utmost, deep inside Joseph's heart, if he didn't allow himself to let go, things would never come to an end.

Hugo couldn't come up with better words and could only say, "You've been trying your best..." Joseph lightly pulled the corners of his mouth, stuffed the potato chips into his mouth, and chewed with a heavy and lonely feeling.

Looking at Joseph in this state, Hugo suddenly thought, why didn't he have siblings? In the United States, where there is no one-child policy, it is normal for many families to have siblings. But the Lancaster family didn't have any, was there a reason for that? However, Hugo quickly abandoned this thought. He was too sensitive now, questioning everything, like a mentally sensitive patient.

In the TV, Kevin from "Home Alone" was showing his power, punishing the two burglars trying to break in. Watching the burglars being pranked and the humorous scenes, even though these plotlines had been seen before, it still brought a pleasant mood. Indeed, as Hugo said, this movie matched the holiday atmosphere.

Joseph let out a long sigh and sank into the sofa, comfortable and let out a low moan. He said, "I have to buy a sofa like yours."

Hugo grabbed a few more potato chips and put them in his mouth, his attention once again focused on the TV screen. He said, "When you want to watch TV, just come downstairs."

"Oh, by the way, I came back early because of work," Joseph suddenly remembered. It was this job that brought him back to Los Angeles from his hometown of Houston.

Hugo frowned and murmured, "Work on Christmas? I thought everyone would be on vacation these days."

"It's not exactly work, it's an audition for a movie," Joseph temporarily put aside the matters at home and gradually relaxed.

""The Firm"?" That was Hugo's first reaction. After all, there had been talks about auditions for this movie even before "A Few Good Men" was released. But now, a month had passed, and the auditions hadn't started yet. If there hadn't been any news within the industry, Hugo would have doubted whether Brad Pitt had already been secretly selected as the male lead by Sydney Pollock.

"Oh, no, the auditions for that movie have been pushed back, probably around the New Year." Joseph tilted his head slightly, looked at Hugo from the corner of his eye, and expressed his helplessness. Ultimately, it was because his power as a manager was insufficient. If it were Ron Meyer, the auditions wouldn't have been so difficult, especially considering the excellent performance of "A Few Good Men".

Hugo shrugged and pursed his lips. "I've gotten used to it. Big directors always make us wait. Besides, it's the holiday season now. Sidney might be on vacation." It was just a speculation, but overall, that seemed to be the situation. Hugo didn't have much to do besides waiting. After all, he wasn't a big enough star to influence the progress of movie auditions. "So, what audition is it this time?"

Although the auditions for "The Firm" were delayed, the success of "A Few Good Men" had clearly had a profound impact. Other film companies had also seen this and it was not surprising to receive invitations.

"It's a chick flick, you know what a chick flick is?" When it came to work, Joseph sat up a little straighter, and his spirit returned because "Moulin Rouge" and "When Harry Met Sally" were exactly such chick flicks.

The so-called "chick flicks" are actually light-hearted romantic comedy films, with women as the central focus and men playing supporting roles. Even if that's not the case, the presence of women in these films is substantial enough to be on par with men. The themes of these films often revolve around love. In English, "chick" is a slang term for women, so this type of film can be called "chick flicks".

Chick flicks have always held an important position in Hollywood. They have not only shaped many American sweethearts but have also made many handsome and charming men the objects of women's dreams. For example, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" brought Audrey Hepburn to fame, "Dirty Dancing" propelled Patrick Swayze to stardom and led to his role in "Ghost", and "Pretty Woman" not only made Julia Roberts an overnight sensation but also solidified Richard Gere's image as a golden bachelor.

"Yes, of course, I've always liked chick flicks," Hugo nodded. He had some understanding of this genre. Unexpectedly, Joseph gave him a probing look, which made Hugo feel puzzled. "What's wrong? Are chick flicks only allowed for girls? We can also enjoy excellent works like "When Harry Met Sally", can't we?"

Generally, the main audience for romantic comedy films is women, and in the male-dominated Hollywood film industry, chick flicks have a limited proportion. However, it cannot be denied that chick flicks have also produced many great films. For example, "When Harry Met Sally" explores relationships between the sexes, and "Breakfast at Tiffany's", a film from 1961, is still regarded as a classic.

Joseph chuckled lightly, "Yes, that's right. Do you know that "When Harry Met Sally" is Rob's work?"

"Of course. Rob Reiner, the director of my movie, started as an actor. Although his acting career didn't take off, he achieved remarkable success as a director and joined the ranks of top directors with "When Harry Met Sally". I naturally haven't forgotten about that," Hugo said.

"This audition opportunity was strongly recommended by Rob," Joseph finally got to the point. "Nora Ephron, the screenwriter of "When Harry Met Sally", is directing a film herself this time. It's her second work, and it's also a chick flick. So she approached Rob, hoping he would make a cameo appearance and discussed the filming details together. And then... Rob recommended you to Nora, thinking that you are perfect for the leading male role in this script."

Hugo's excellent performance in "Scent of a Woman" earned him the audition opportunity for "A Few Good Men". And now, his outstanding achievements in "A Few Good Men" had earned him two consecutive audition opportunities. The circles in Hollywood were truly interconnected.

Nora Ephron was a well-known and outstanding screenwriter. Her debut work, "Silkwood", received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Subsequently, "When Harry Met Sally" once again earned Nora a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. This 51-year-old powerhouse had brought a fresh perspective from a female point of view to chick flicks in Hollywood. It could be said that she was a trailblazer in the chick flicks genre.

Hugo nodded repeatedly. He wasn't surprised that Rob recommended him so enthusiastically because Rob had always taken care of him on the set. However, Hugo was curious about which script Rob was so actively recommending him for. "What's the name of the script?"