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Eric dropped Jennifer back at her home as he planned to go see the owner of the bankrupt film company alone.
Getting out of the car, Jennifer suddenly said, "Eric, can you leave your Home Alone script with me? Maybe I could look at it and… help a little?"
Eric nodded and said, "Sure, no problem, I made several copies."
Jennifer took the script, waved her little hand as Eric drove away, and went back into her apartment, a trace of resolve and determination now visible in her eyes.
***
At a cafe in Burbank, Eric met Jeffrey Hanson, the owner of the small film company called Fireflies. Hanson was a Caucasian man of about fifty years of age with a somewhat haggard face. It seemed like the bankruptcy of his company had been a great blow to him as he appeared downright dispirited. Eric knew from his past experiences that the man probably needed to vent a little, so he didn't rush to business right away, and patiently listened to him.
"My wife, Solina, was the valedictorian of USC's Film School, you know? She was classmates with Francis Coppola, but she was just a girl from Maryland; her family heritage didn't run deep like him, else her achievements in the industry may have been even higher than his. She even received a lot of awards when she was still in school."
"Back then, I studied finance and I was what you'd call a nerd. God knows why a talented and beautiful woman like her would agree to date me. She said she wanted to become a director, so I told her to stay in L.A so that we could both advance our careers together. I remember everything, from the way we struggled in the beginning to the first time we managed to obtain investment for a film; her smile on that day was even brighter than the day of our wedding, when I put a ring on her finger. Afterwards, we opened a film company and we named it Fireflies. She was the director and I was her producer. I would help her take care of everything; we shot several films together and even won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Unfortunately, a year ago, when Solina drove to Maryland to visit her parents, there was an accident..."
Jeffrey Hanson's voice started to crack, anyone could see he had loved his wife deeply. Eric handed him a tissue and quietly waited for the man to finish his story.
"After my wife left, I thought I should inherit her dreams. She wanted to make Fireflies grow and become a director with an Oscar as a recognition. I thought I could do it; I've been a producer for so many years, so directing shouldn't be that difficult. So, I mortgaged the company to raise funds in order to shoot a movie, but the reality was much harsher than my expectations…."
"Don't mind it, Jeffrey; it's just one failure. Which Hollywood director has never experienced failure?"
Jeffrey rubbed his wet eyes as he said, "Thank you Eric for listening to me blab for so long, I feel much better now. When the film company went bankrupt, my son almost broke ties with me because he blamed me for destroying his mother's years of painstaking hard work…. I don't resent him; I'm just sorry. Anyways, Drew said that you needed some people to make a movie?"
Eric nodded, "Yes, but it's only a $1 million project."
Jeffrey shook his head and said, "1 million is plenty enough. The first movie my wife and I made only cost about $700,000. By the way, may I know how old you are?"
"Of course, I'm eighteen years old. Jeffrey, you don't think I'm too young or too impatient, do you?"
"No, I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing; a million dollar is not a small sum."
"Oh?"
Jeffrey said, "I don't have any prejudices against youngsters. Many directors shot great movies when they were younger and turned mediocre in their later years. Youngsters are always full of creativity. I believe my team can help you with that. They were all personally brought up by my wife; they're very professional and diligent, but because of me, they're unemployed. So your presence is a stroke of good fortune. Right, can I see your script?"
"Sure," Eric took out a stack of paper from his bag and handed it to Jeffrey, then quietly waited.
Ten minutes later, Jeffrey closed the manuscript, returned it to Eric, and said, "It's a good comedy. The shooting shouldn't be too complicated. It's really a wise choice for a first timer."
Eric put the script back in his backpack, looked at Jeffrey and asked, "So, Jeffrey, will you be the producer for this movie?"
Jeffrey Hanson asked doubtfully, "Eric, are you sure? My company went bankrupt because of me…"
Eric said, "Jeffrey, you might not cut it as a director, but from what I've heard, you're a very good producer. If the film is successful, I will set up my own company. You can work with me and I can take in the team your wife left behind so that they won't have to lose their jobs."
Jeffrey was ecstatic. He had been frustrated after his failure and was planning to return home and farm for his remaining years. Eric's suggestion wasn't just benefiting him, but also his crew. Those people had worked with him for many years; they weren't just his employees, but rather like his friends. His mistakes had left them unemployed, and he felt truly guilty about that.
Jeffrey didn't consider it for long as he nodded and said, "Very well Eric, I agree."
"To pleasant cooperation," Eric smiled and tapped his cup of coffee against Jeffrey's to celebrate their partnership.
***
Afterwards, the two began to discuss Home Alone.
During their talk, Jeffrey learned about Eric's plan, and he couldn't help but be amazed.
"I want to complete the filming in about a month, and then take advantage of the hype from Jurassic Park and 17 Again to release the film just in time for the Christmas season. Fox has exaggerated greatly about me to promote 17 Again, so, as long as we can make a decent film, it will certainly be a hit at the box office."
Eric remembered that during his previous life Home Alone had been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for its stellar box office. This thought filled him with longing; even if his Home Alone only earned half of what it earned during his previous life, it would be more than enough to make him a very wealthy man.
The two continued chatting for a while and they each left their respective contact information before they went their own separate ways.
Eric had just arrived at home when he received some good news: the Runkles had agreed to let Stuart play Kevin. They discussed the details before they finally agreed to Eric's offer of $50,000 upfront and one percent of the film's box office's profits.
Although it was only one-tenth of what Eric had earned in 17 Again, if the film had the same success as it did during his previous life, that one percent alone would be enough to make the Runkles grin from ear to ear. Eric didn't mind them taking such a huge sum; after all, he needed Stuart to be the lead.
The next day, Eric had Jeffrey Hanson and the Runkles sign an official contract. The couple also heard about Eric being the film's director and had expressed some reservations, but once they received the $50,000 cheque that Eric had prepared in advance, they immediately signed the contract.
Afterwards, Eric began considering the matter of the funds. He had originally had about $600,000, and after some negotiations with Michael Klaus, he readily agreed to pay him $200,000 of royalties within ten days. Eric also returned his newly bought Strauss piano, which the owner reluctantly agreed to take back, but not without lowering two thousand dollars from the original price.
For the last remaining $200,000 dollars, Eric gritted his teeth and finally took out a mortgage on his house with a 10% monthly interest. Moreover, if the money wasn't paid back within six months, his home would no longer be his. Such conditions were nothing short of usury, but he had no other options.
Looking at the cheque in his hands, Eric sighed. This plan of his was a drastic move, and in case he failed, he wasn't even sure if Jennifer would agree to shelter him.
When he thought about that, he couldn't help but recalled Drew. His middle-aged self was clearly able to see how much the young lass liked him. If possible, he didn't wish to remain in contact with her, especially now that the production of 17 Again was over. He cared about her, but perhaps more like a father would care for his daughter than a boy would care for a girl.
It would probably take some time for the young lass to get over her misguided feelings for him, but in the meantime, he needed her help in order to complete Home Alone, which meant that the two of them were not quite done being in contact with each other yet.
***
Once they had all the funds, they were ready to shoot, so Eric and Jeffrey began non-stop casting the actors. Eric had planned to pick the two robbers Harry and Marvin from among some TV comedians, but after sending out several invitations, they were either not available or found the paycheck to be too low.
Being unable to sign anyone in the roles of Harry and Marvin for a couple of days, Eric suddenly received a phone call from Jennifer.
"What? You're saying your father is inviting me to dinner?"
Jennifer's voice over the phone was tinged with excitement, "Yeah, you were frustrated because you couldn't find actors for Home Alone, right? I told my dad about it, and he promised to help you find some comedians!"
Jennifer's tone was very casual, but Eric knew that things couldn't have been so simple, so he felt really moved. Her relationship with her biological father, John Aniston, was very strained as he had abandoned her and her mother to focus on his career, which left Jennifer with a grudge against him. During his previous life, John Aniston had struggled to mend his relationship with his stubborn daughter, so it could only be imagined how hard it must've been for her to seek his help.
Eric replied, "Thank you, Annie, I'll be there on time."