[Chapter 229: How about this?]
After finding a seat, Elisabeth looked around and complained, "It's all your fault for picking this movie. We have to wait for several minutes."
Eric handed the popcorn and soda he was holding to the lady, saying, "You wanted to see this on a whim, after all. Waiting a few minutes is much better than walking in halfway through, and besides, this movie is pretty good."
"You've seen it?" the lady asked upon hearing Eric's comment.
Eric nodded. "Sort of."
The lady shot him a glare. "What do you mean, sort of? It's either yes or no."
Eric ignored her retort; he couldn't exactly say he saw it in the last life, could he? He remembered, back when this movie released, he had even told Nicole to check it out and study Meg Ryan's acting style.
While sitting there, idly pondering a few minutes before the film began, Eric noticed something interesting.
The screenplay for When Harry Met Sally... was written by Nora Ephron. Although this woman, who was both a screenwriter and director, had produced a number of highly successful works, her fame was surprisingly low. For most movie fans, when mentioning her work, they often thought of the filmmakers who starred in the films, without realizing the contributions of this director and screenwriter.
Of course, that wasn't the interesting part. What Eric observed was that at least in the Nora Ephron films he had seen, the female leads shared a very common trait -- sweetness.
Meg Ryan earned the title of America's Sweetheart largely because of Nora Ephron's When Harry Met Sally.... Furthermore, in Ephron's other works, the female leads were also endowed with a 'sweet' attribute. Aside from Meg Ryan, the poised Nicole Kidman became sweet in the film Bewitched, and the ordinary-looking Lisa Kudrow transformed into a charming character in Lucky Numbers. Even Meryl Streep showcased her sweet side in one of Ephron's early works, Heartburn.
One could say that this screenwriter, deep down, was likely a romantic at heart, granting this same characteristic to various actresses who had completely different styles.
...
As the lights dimmed in the screening room and the silent subtitles rolled, the film opened with a striking scene: a gray-haired elderly couple recalling how they came together many years ago.
Though the elderly couple were actors, their stories were based on real interviews Nora Ephron conducted with couples in real life. Eric was engrossed, while Elisabeth beside him seemed perplexed. "Eric, what's going on?"
"Just hang tight and watch," he replied.
As he spoke, the scene had already shifted to the campus of the University of Chicago, where the young male and female leads were meeting for the first time before heading out into the world. Carpooling to New York, they stubbornly clung to their beliefs, arguing back and forth without any one of them being able to convince the other, each displaying their last ounce of youthful arrogance until they parted ways ungracefully.
Five years later, they crossed paths again. The female lead had found love, and the male lead was about to marry. Perhaps feeling at peace with their futures, they decided to explore a friendship.
Another five years passed, and the male lead was divorced, while the female lead had broken up. Fate, with its twists, brought them together once more, and they forged a true friendship, at least in their eyes.
This time, time didn't rush away; it slowed down. As they spent more time together, they forged a bond as best friends, introducing each other to their closest friends in hopes of arranging romantic matches. They succeeded, at least partly; their friends became a couple, fell in love, and were on the verge of getting married. While offering their congratulations, the stubborn pair clung to their beliefs, thinking that since they had started as friends, they ought not to disrupt that relationship.
By coincidence or maybe due to the inevitable chemistry, they found themselves in bed together. The next morning, they woke up panicked, full of hesitation, starting to avoid each other. On a lonely New Year's Eve, the male lead finally confessed his feelings, and they shared a passionate kiss through tears.
The camera lingered on a classic-style sofa, no longer occupied by the gray-haired elderly couple but now by the married couple, chattering away, naturally with arguments included.
Twelve years and three months, beautiful youth burned out, and it was time for a new partner.
The lights came on, signaling the end of the movie.
...
The crowd clustered together like conjoined twins, whispering to each other as they exited the theater, while some couples remained in their seats, kissing as if no one was watching.
Elisabeth, holding a bucket of popcorn she had barely touched, got bumped by people passing by. Finally, she joined Eric and broke the silence, "That movie was really good."
"Yeah, the director shot some fantastic scenes, especially the seasonal imagery. The one with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in the woods is beautiful; the falling maple leaves symbolize life's grand finale. Oh, and their eyes -- who knows if this was deliberate? -- they always had such clear, expressive eyes. After all, the saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' isn't just a cliche. The camera could unknowingly communicate a lot of emotions to the audience. Maybe I'll use that in my films someday..."
As they left the theater, Elisabeth, for some unknown reason, suddenly became furious. She dumped a large portion of her popcorn into the trash can with a loud clatter, gaining the attention of those around them, cutting off Eric's analysis mid-sentence.
"Uh..." Seeing her action, Eric shrugged, choosing not to continue his pointless chatter.
...
After getting into the car, he noticed Elisabeth silently fastening her seatbelt. "You going to Julia's place?" he confirmed.
"Yeah," Elisabeth nodded, then added, "It's still a bit far from Julia's. Why don't we swing by your place first? After you get out, I can drive back myself. You probably have more than one car, right? You can just use another one for work tomorrow."
"No problem," Eric calculated the travel time. It seemed most convenient, so he agreed and started the car.
By the time they reached the entrance of Eric's mansion, after over thirty minutes on the road, the usually talkative Elisabeth remained uncharacteristically silent.
"Well, see you tomorrow?" Eric asked as he stopped the car and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Hmm..." Elisabeth huffed, glaring at Eric as if she were trying to burn him with her gaze.
The tension hung in the air for a few seconds. Eric turned off the engine and all the car lights, reaching out to gently pinch Elisabeth's pointed chin in the dark. "Okay, how about this?"
*****
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