Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Dirty Dancing is smart and funny, touching and unapologetic. It'll be a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day. It's worth seeing if just for the dancing... and Patrick Schwytz's body. "

Sheila Benson - Los Angeles Times, female film critic.

"On top of that, you have Jennifer Gray as Baby, a wealthy girl summering in the Catskills who falls in love with Johnny, a working-class dance instructor played by Patrick Swayze. The chemistry between the leads is White hot...worth watching.

At the very least, the two of them dance really sexy! "

F. X. Feeney, Los Angeles Weekly, film critic.

"Dirty Dancing is a 'flash dance' in which the protagonist has an IQ of over 100 points..."

Jay Scott, Globe and Mail, film critic.

"The dance itself in Dirty Dancing, especially the Mamba choreography by Kenny Ortega, looks very modern, or at least as modern as 'Saturday Night Fever.' But it's more This wild driving force and gushing pulse bring real... excitement to the film.

Vincent Canby, New York Times, film critic

“The heart-warming scenes, wild dancing, and Dirty Dancing remind me of Roger Corman’s B-movie mood, which is very nostalgic.

When Patrick Schwytz and Jennifer Gray dance together, you need a fire extinguisher..."

Julie Solomon, Wall Street Journal, female film critic.

"Hot, hot (a pun on hot and sexy)...Hot...(reviewers wrote it eight times in a row), 'Dirty Dancing' is 'Saturday Night Fever' with Caribbean hot dance music, it's borscht 'Flashdance' from the Recreation Zone (a ring of resorts around New York State where Jews often go on vacation) is a romantic and dazzling work set against the backdrop of sultry old songs from the 1960s.

In the 1960s, my God, the commanders were so sexy back then. …

An absolutely romantic movie, Baby Frances, played by the Jewish girl Jennifer Gray, represents women in that era of liberation and freedom. This is a typical Ronald Lee-style Sleeping Beauty-style low-budget movie. It will definitely do surprisingly well at the box office. I heard that the premiere will be postponed to mid-August, which is very exciting.

I recommend that all young girls, no, just women, should see it. This is our Rocky,

In the end, Baby, like Rocky, defeated the woman she was competing with for the role of Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Schwytz, in a dance by technical knockout. "

Rita Kempley - The Washington Post, female film critic.

…

Pauline Carr's influence among female film critics in New York and across the country is enormous. She came forward to invite some film critics to attend the second film critics' preview screening organized by Ronald in various places.

The effect is very good. Pauline specifically recommended this movie from the perspective of women's liberation. Many female film critics have written positive film reviews of 80 or 90% or above.

There are unspoken rules in the Hollywood film critic world. As a producer, Ronald can privately give benefits to film critics. However, you cannot interfere with film critics’ film reviews or ask for an increase in ratings.

Well-known film critics from major media will also submit their film review articles after the film critics' special screening a few weeks before the film is released.

Regardless of whether it is good or bad, the producers are given a certain amount of time to make corresponding adjustments to the marketing plan based on the quality of the film's reviews.

This time, Pauline Carr gave Ronald some face and helped Ronald call the film critics, and specially came to attend the second preview screening. The attendees were mainly female film critics, but also included many non-Jewish male film critics.

They generally would not attend this kind of small-production film critic show. At most, after the film is released, they can get free admission with their New York Film Critics Society membership card. Then write a movie review.

But Pauline's status as a Hollywood film critic was very high, and her film reviews made "Bonnie and Clyde," the pioneer of the New Hollywood movement, popular. This time Pauline Carr praised Ronald very highly, saying that he had the opportunity to revolutionize Hollywood again and once again bring mainstream movies back to major real issues.

Those female film critics have more or less benefited from Pauline Carr's favor in order to find a film critic position in a major newspaper or magazine in the male-dominated Hollywood. They were also curious about Ronald's new film, which tells the story of the 1960s. When they came over to take a look, they found that it lived up to its reputation.

"Dirty Dancing" touched on the issue of women's abortion rights 10 years before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.

Penny Johnson, played by Cynthia Rhodes, is the key fulcrum on which the entire film is established. Penny was deceived by a waiter into becoming pregnant while she was still unmarried, so Baby had the opportunity to practice dancing with Johnny.

Penny had no money at that time, so she could only find a quack doctor for surgery, which led Baby to ask her father to lend money to Penny, and then asked her father to treat Penny again to avoid accidents. This can lead to the plot that the baby's father, Dr. Hausman, turns against his favorite daughter and opposes her relationship with Johnny.

Such a plot is very difficult to ignore. Anyone who is not an inexperienced boy or girl can understand how things were restored from Ronald's restrained direction and editing.

These film critics all came from the turbulent women's liberation cause in the 1960s. We understand how rare it was to have a good and enlightened doctor like Hausman before the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade.

It also made him finally agree to his daughter's relationship with Johnny, and send the baby abroad to participate in the Peace Corps movement advocated by Kennedy to aid third world countries. How extraordinary.

This is simply every girl's dream. These middle-aged women remember the past when they were young while watching the movie. In the final shot of Baby and Johnny hugging each other again, they were so moved that they almost cried.

The most exaggerated is the Washington Post's Rita Kempley, who works for the largest newspaper in the center of DC politics. She knows better than anyone else that the two protagonists can overcome the huge differences in ethnicity, class, wealth, education, and so on. The difficulty of finally coming together.

Rita grabbed Ronald and asked him about the subsequent plot:

"Tell me, Ronald, did Baby and Johnny get married together later? Huh? Did Johnny get selected to star in a musical on Broadway? Baby married him after he returned from working in the Peace Corps in Africa? Huh?"

"I can't say, it should be decided by the audience." In order to avoid being targeted by the Jewish gang, Ronald kept all the details secret. For example, in the end, the male and female protagonists just danced together. There are no details hinting at their future endings.

"If you don't tell me, I will write a bad review for you!" Rita refused.

"Yes, Ronald, you are such a bad guy, you almost made me cry. If you dare to separate Baby and Johnny, I will scold you in the movie review, you little bad guy." Julie Solomon of the Wall Street Journal also came up to make a comment Threatening Ronald with a vicious look.

"If you have something to say, I surrender." Ronald pretended to succeed in their threats and told them his difficulties. Why am I being threatened by Jewish forces in Hollywood because the heroine is a Jewish girl?

An agreement was reached with the Jews that Baby's ethnicity would not be revealed in the film, and the sex scenes between Baby and Johnny, as well as the scenes in which the two look forward to the future and overcome all difficulties to be together, were deleted.

As a result, this concession still aroused opposition from Jewish film critics, and Pauline Carr was forced to come forward to make amends.

"Actually, I have been very reserved about this movie. Unless you were a Jew who grew up in the 1960s, it would be difficult for you to understand that the Catskills are a resort hotel that only entertains Jews in the Borscht Belt. You may not necessarily know that Baby is Jewish girl. This story will not change because of the ethnicity of the two protagonists."

"Yes, we support you. The core of this movie is actually the story of Baby's self-growth." Several female film critics began to get angry. Why would someone give a low score to such a good movie? This is a crime!

And the leading actor Patrick Schwytz is so handsome, it would be great if I could dance with him.

…

A few days later, Ronald was very happy to receive the manuscripts sent by these female and non-Jewish male film critics, and celebrated with Michelle Cannold and others in the office.

"Look, I still have some connections in Hollywood."

"That's for sure, Ronald. Almost all the movies you've made since you became a director have done well at the box office. These film critics also have to follow the footsteps of successful people." Cannold was very happy and flattered his boss in disguise.

"The main thing is that my movie has a plot of women's liberation, and the screenwriter Eleanor is of a high standard." Ronald said modestly.

"That's because your connections played a role. If it weren't for Pauline Carr's help, we wouldn't have been able to find so many film critics from famous media."

"There, there, our Daydream Company has invested so many resources, it must be heard." Ronald nodded to the little Douglas who was giggling over there. This little boy didn't care much about the investment, as long as he could make famous movies. movie, he is happy.

This time, for the additional marketing expenses and the additional budget to have the title song "The Time of My Life" of the original album charted by DJs on major radio stations, I spent a lot of money on marketing expenses to keep Daydream as a backup. Now If another accident happens, there will really be no money left. Fortunately, Douglas Jr. received living expenses from the family foundation in 1987. If he needed money, he could invest one or two million.

"No, no, your director level is still high. Look at those middle-aged female film critics who are fascinated by your movies. They still have to attend the premiere in New York and wait to dance with Patrick Schwytz. Body dancing." Little Douglas laughed when talking about the situation at that time.

Two film critics from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal were holding on to Ronald, insisting that he sign a confirmation that the leading actor would dance with them at the premiere before they agreed to give Dirty Dancing the best review possible. .

However, at the expense of Schwytz, the film reviews I received today really praised Ronald's film to the point of being rare in heaven.

"I didn't expect these middle-aged women to like this movie so much. It would be great if female viewers in their thirties were as obsessed with this movie as they are. The absolute number of teenage female viewers is still small." Douglas Jr. lamented. .

"Stop daydreaming. They are professional film critics, real middle-aged viewers. How can they be obsessed with this kind of old-fashioned romantic comedy? I just ask more of them to watch it." Ronald Shaking his head, this is a bit delusional.

"I also know...Hey, isn't this just a dream? We daydream about how much resources and energy we have invested in distributing this movie, and the people on Cannold's distribution team are working very hard. It feels like our small team can do almost as well as the publishing team of a big company like MGM.

The media interview packets we give to major media outlets are also outstanding in Hollywood. Those reporters who don’t say good things will feel sorry for us. "

Ronald smiled as he watched Douglas Jr. praising the distribution team. They were very happy to hear this. They are all young people who have no experience and work with enthusiasm. Sometimes you don’t tell them how difficult the work is, but they achieve very good results.

"I can't promise anything, but if the movie is a hit, we will definitely give everyone bonuses. And if...not, once Dirty Dancing is a box office success, we will increase the size of the distribution department. Everyone sitting here will Career development will be very good.”

Ronald draws a large pizza out of thin air and gives it to the team members. Sure enough, the employees who had just graduated from college were very excited and high-fived each other with their hands in the air.

"The first one was affordable. I found the resort hotel where we were filming and bought a weekend vacation package. All the colleagues in the distribution department went to take a break. They could bring a family member with them, and the company paid all the expenses."

The reward that Ronald asked his assistant to bring was that the Lakeside Resort Hotel put their names in a separate line after the subtitles and acknowledgments for the movie. It was a benefit given to Ronald, which just allowed the team who had been busy for half a year to rest and relax.

"Yeah, Ronald...Ronald..."

The young people began to cheer Ronald's name.

"You have so many resources invested in Dirty Dancing, why don't you give us a little bit of 'love is not for sale'?"

It was Rush, the director of "Love Is Not For Sale" who walked into the office and questioned Ronald.

He had a grievance about Ronald interfering in the final cut, in order to get the film passed with a PG13 rating, to sell more tickets rather than respect artistic integrity.

I just saw "Dirty Dancing" on the table getting so many positive reviews, and I was even more angry.

Unlike the rave reviews here, "Love Is Not For Sale" has received extremely negative reviews.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, for example, gave "Love Is Not For Sale" half a star.

“If Love Is Not For Sale is meant to satirize American values—if cynicism is its goal—we might be on to something here.

But no, based on this evidence, the people who made this movie were so materialistic that they thought it was a "teen comedy." Couldn't they see the rotten core of the script?

How could an American do such a dirty thing of using money to buy the affection of his girlfriend? "

Albert indeed cursed "love is not for sale" in the film review.

It’s not like there are no good things to say. The New York Times film review, which Ronald is devoted to, gave a positive evaluation:

"...Director Steve Rush squandered an opportunity to make this a deeper and more interesting film.  . There is an identity crisis that is a mirror image of the main character Ronald himself.

He thought he wanted to gain popularity at all costs, but he was actually a sincere person and finally gained Cindy's love. This movie could have been as sincere as The Ronald , but what it really wanted was the box office, so like other PG13 'kid movies', it edited out its own originality. "

This positive review spoke to Rush's heart, and the artistry was cut off for the sake of box office. It’s worse than a bad review!

“Come on, Steve, calm down. Our distribution team spent a lot of time and effort on your movie (actually much less, and Love Right and Wrong was sold as a tie-in to Dirty Dancing ),” explains director Michelle Cannodra Rush.

"It's okay," Ronald gestured to Cannold to let him go.

"Come with me, I'll show you something." Ronald took Steve Rush to the office next door.

"These are the negative reviews my movie Dirty Dancing received. They are no better than yours." Ronald took out the various negative reviews he had received before from the drawer and showed them to Rush.

"Proportionally, the ratings of our two movies are actually about the same."

"Well, I'm sorry, Ronald," Rush said, losing his temper and looking like his review might not be so bad after all. Roger Ebert also disliked Ronald's movies.

"I have made a lot of efforts, but our Daydream is a small company, I hope you can understand. My movie will be rescheduled, and some of the original resources will now be used by Aishui. I have arranged a premiere for you, Two opportunities to be interviewed on TV shows..."

"Thank you, you are a good producer and boss." Seeing that Ronald was diverting his resources to Love, Rush felt a little ashamed of his anger just now, "You are different from those capitalist vampires. It’s still on the side of us artists.”

"As long as you understand, it's not easy for me either." Ronald pretended that the company was still small and couldn't give you more support.

"Rush, you're here...don't be like this, Ronald has already given you great resources." Steve Bannon knocked on the door from outside.

"I know, I know, hey, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have made such a good movie at such a low cost." Rush left moved.

"Are you satisfied?" Ronald looked at Bannon and knew what he wanted. He turned around and took out a media promotion plan and handed it to Bannon.

"I'm very satisfied, Ronald. You are a born filmmaker." Bannon was convinced after seeing those promotion plans and the arrangements for the protagonists to participate in TV interviews on CBS and NBC. This low-budget movie was shot for less than one million US dollars. It bought a Beatles song from MJ at a low price as the theme song. As long as it can be exposed in the media, profit is almost certain. It’s a matter of earning more and earning less.

As long as he can earn more than 10 million, he can be proud of himself on Wall Street. After earning 15 million at the box office, those old colleagues will take the initiative to call to discuss investing in their own film funds. If I make 20 million, hehe... I'm afraid I won't be able to obediently compete for limited investment quota outside my office door.

"How much do you expect to earn?" Bannon asked Ronald in a low voice.

"Originally, the films scheduled for Dirty Dancing were all given to Love. In July, Disney will have "The Babysitter" to be released. I made an agreement with them. Originally, both parties took turns occupying the schedule, and there would be about 1,200 films scheduled to be released.

A conservative estimate is that if you stay in a theater for four weeks, between 20 million and 25 million is not a big problem.

However, there will be several big-budget and strong films such as 007, Jaws 4, RoboCop, Superman 4, and Unicron, so your film may not last long. Don't expect too much. "

"Hahaha, 25 million, no problem. My foundation has raised enough money. When the time comes for our cooperation, you must leave me a sufficient investment share." Bannon was overjoyed, Ronald The estimate actually exceeded his most optimistic box office forecast. With this kind of return on investment, financing is not a problem. Then if you invest in a visionary producer like Ronald, it will grow rapidly like a snowball. Then you can issue larger-scale private equity funds, or even issue junk bonds for financing, or maybe Go one step further to get the company listed and reach the pinnacle of life...

It seems that retreating from Wall Street and joining Hollywood was indeed the right choice.

Ronald looked at Bannon who was smiling ugly, took out a pair of glasses, opened the brandy, poured two glasses of wine, "Wish us success!"

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :