From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Reese Witherspoon and Ansel Elgort are teaming up to star in a Johnny Cash biopic.

This news, no matter how you look at it, is a potential bombshell.

One is America's sweetheart, riding high on her success; "Legally Blonde 2" hit theaters this summer, and although its box office performance didn't surpass the original, it still showcased the unique charm of this blonde actress.

The other is the undisputed leader of the new generation; this summer, news from the "Spider-Man 2" set, both on and off-screen, dominated the public eye with overwhelming force, with even the slightest movement drawing attention.

Their first collaboration should undoubtedly be the center of attention, the hype factor more than doubling, easily igniting a frenzy.

However, reality is different.

The key lies in "biopic."

If Reese and Ansel were collaborating on a romantic comedy, it would definitely set the internet ablaze, with all media outlets paying close attention; but a biopic?

Are you sure? Is this some kind of Halloween prank?

No one cares.

No one is paying attention.

A collaboration between "flower vase X flower vase" looks like a disaster in the making.

Of course, it's not as if there's absolutely no ripple at all.

"A transformation? Why rush it!"

"I understand the choice, but I can't understand this collaboration."

"Whose idea was this anyway?"

"When the absurd meets the absurd, just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder, you see the news of Ansel Elgort and Reese Witherspoon joining forces to compete for awards season..."

"Hard to say who's ruining whose acting career."

One by one, well-meaning people offer earnest advice, eager to pour their hearts out for the sake of the two actors, but their words subtly devalue the two actors, making it hard to believe there isn't a hint of schadenfreude behind their words.

Among them, one particularly interesting comment deserves to be highlighted.

"They think they're making a second 'Shakespeare in Love,' but they don't realize they're actually making a second 'Gigli.'"

Savage, utterly savage.

"Gigli," starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, released in April this year, is hailed as a strong contender for the worst super-flop in history, suffering a catastrophic box office failure.

In just three weeks after its release, the number of theaters showing it plummeted from over two thousand seven hundred to seventy-three, the overwhelming negative reviews were utterly devastating, and the terrible performances of the "Bennifer" couple were met with all-around criticism from critics and audiences alike.

So, what about "Shakespeare in Love"?

Of course, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actress, and other awards, proving that "Shakespeare in Love" still holds its own; however, now, "Shakespeare in Love" is considered one of the biggest injustices in Oscar history, defeating "Saving Private Ryan" to win Best Picture is not an honor, but a mark of shame.

Critics not only compared "Walk the Line" to "Gigli," but even complained that the starting point of the creative team was a mistake.

In other words, this comment does not look favorably on "Walk the Line" from the inside out.

Mockery, ridicule,吐槽, regret.

From top to bottom, inside and out, it's rare to see such unanimous agreement.

Everything is just as Reese expected.

The movie hasn't even started filming yet, it's just a piece of news, and the public opinion has already unequivocally taken the opposite side, that's how cruel the reality is.

Some critics even mocked, "A pointless struggle."

They don't think a biopic could affect Ansel and Reese's careers, anyway, there are plenty of failed films that try to compete for awards season every year, one more or less doesn't make a difference, there's no need to make a fuss.

They purely think that Ansel and Reese's behavior is... laughable and pathetic.

However, what's even sadder is that even these negative feedbacks are few and far between, not lasting long in the air, and soon becoming sparse and quiet.

In a blink of an eye, it returns to calm.

And then... there's no then, even TMZ's news click rate is mediocre.

It's somewhat absurd to say that the news pictures of "Spider-Man 2" starting up can detonate traffic, but the strong alliance between Ansel and Reese is ignored.

Audiences want to see hype, gimmicks, and excitement, but they have no interest in award season art films, unless the film really stands out during the award season.

But, how easy is that?

After a brief moment of uproar, the "Walk the Line" crew completely returned to calm.

Not only the media, critics, and audiences, but also the Hollywood industry.

They all understand Ansel and Reese's plan; but in their opinion, both of them are not rational or sober enough, putting aside the absurdity of a flower vase collaboration in a character biography, the fact that the "Walk the Line" project has been rejected by more than thirty production companies in Hollywood for ten years is an important signal, and now the collaboration between the two is even worse.

"There's a little bit of cleverness, but it's not clever enough."

Sony Columbia even said lightly, "Not worth it."

This move, in the eyes of Hollywood, is undoubtedly meaningful—

What really matters is the Hollywood staff, they don't care about the success or failure of the film, the only thing they care about is "a job", especially since "Walk the Line" is trying to realistically restore the atmosphere of the fifties and sixties from details such as clothing, equipment, and environment, which requires expertise and experience—

Experts in these fields have found a stage to showcase their abilities, so they are the few industry insiders who are willing to applaud "Walk the Line."

Such a scene is both funny and sad.

Looking back at the attention and topics triggered by Ansel taking over "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" at the beginning of this year, and then looking at the current desolation, it has to be said that times have changed too quickly.

Similar situations, completely different situations.

But, does Ansel care?

The answer is no.

—People are easily talked about when they are popular.

Once you stand at the peak, no matter what happens, there are always rumors, there is no need to be too happy about positive praise, and there is no need to be sad about negative criticism.

Because these rumors are all rootless duckweeds, they will disappear without a trace with a slight breeze, those people have never cared about the real state of things, they are just passers-by, those comments that come out of their mouths without sincerity are naturally weightless, even meaningless.

For Ansel, who has experienced the era of internet traffic, he knows it very well, the current commotion is just a small preview of the internet era.

Therefore, instead of spending time on those unimportant people, it is better to focus on the work in front of you and immerse yourself in the role.