SF Chapter 197: Juno II
"Bro," Dani looked at Mitchell. "No way I was as offensive as Dad."
He looked over. "Oh, hi, Dad."
Jay, Gloria, and Claire approached them. The rest of the Dunphys had already gone into the theater.
"I was telling Mitch I wasn't as bad as you when it comes to being offensive," he explained, then talked about his Ted idea.
"You want to make a movie about a degenerate, immature, and dysfunctional teddy bear?" Claire made a face.
Dani nodded. "Pretty much it. Seems like a funny one to watch!"
Before Claire could continue, Jay intervened. "Daniel, we just closed the deal with DreamWorks and Paramount on Transformers. With Percy Jackson, that's already a large amount of money we're allocating."
"And from what I'm hearing about Mamma Mia, it could be the most expensive movie we've ever made by ourselves," Jay remarked, after hearing about Meryl Streep and where they were thinking about filming.
"Not only do you have four scripts to finish, but our studio also has a lot of future spending lined up," he finished.
Dani dismissed it. "Don't worry, Dad. I put that idea on hold. I'll finish one or two scripts first."
"And as for the money, if needed, I'll just put the money that was distributed to me back into the company again."
They all entered the theater.
[Jay commentary]
"The deal for Transformers is that H&P will cover 40% of the costs, but receive 33% of the economic rights - unlike Percy, where we'll have a 40/60 split on everything," Jay revealed the terms of the contract.
"We have the rights to any potential sequels under the same terms."
"They're estimating a $130 million budget. That means H&P will put in $52 million. If we include the $44 million for Percy, and a possible $40 to $50 million for Mamma Mia..."
Jay took a deep breath. "Our studio has around $140 million to shell out."
"I just hope it's worth all the trouble." He put a hand over his face.
Jay wouldn't say it out loud, but he was really proud of himself, and of his son, for having him negotiate such enormous sums of money.
[Commentary ends]
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Inside the theater, the Dunphy and Pritchett families were all seated close to one another.
"And what about tomorrow? Paranormal Activity," Dani asked about their very small premiere.
"I'm not going," Claire announced. "I already have another commitment."
Dani made an astonished face. "You're not going to your own movie premiere, sis?"
"Since Claire's not going, I'm not going either," Phil added. He was more than happy not to watch the movie they had made again.
Mitchell and Cam, then Jay and Gloria, ended up saying the same thing, since the two people most involved in the movie weren't going.
"Oh, well, I've watched it twice, and if nobody's going, I'm not going either..." Daniel shrugged.
Then the movie started.
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On screen, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), a sixteen-year-old girl with a sharp tongue and an answer for almost everything, discovered that she was pregnant by her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera).
After briefly considering an abortion, Juno changed her mind. She would have the baby and give it up for adoption.
She soon found Vanessa and Mark Loring, a married couple who seemed capable of giving her child the stable home she wanted for it. Vanessa desperately wanted to become a mother, while Juno found herself getting along particularly well with Mark.
But as the months passed and Juno's belly grew, the seemingly perfect arrangement began to crack.
During one of Juno's visits, Mark revealed that he was going to leave Vanessa. He wasn't ready to become a father.
The revelation devastated Juno. Still, she didn't give up on Vanessa. She decided to go through with the adoption, trusting her to raise the baby on her own.
Eventually, Juno went into labor.
When Paulie learned she was at the hospital, he rushed there to be with her.
The baby was born and given to Vanessa, just as Juno had promised.
Later, Juno lay quietly in the hospital bed with Paulie beside her. For once, there was no sarcastic remark... Juno broke down and cried.
In the theater, Dani watched the reactions of everyone around him.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked behind him. "Wow, Dad, are you emotional?" he asked after seeing Jay's expression.
Jay scoffed. "What are you, made of stone?"
"I wrote it..." Dani scoffed back.
"Shhh," Lexi told Dani to be quiet.
The movie finally reached its ending. On the screen, Vanessa was shown at home with her new son, finally a mother.
Juno and Paulie, meanwhile, were together at last. The two sat outside Juno's house with their guitars, playing and singing together. When the song ended, they leaned toward each other and kissed.
Then the screen faded to black and the credits began to roll.
A wave of applause filled the theater.
Claire gave her brother a hug. "Why can't you just make movies like that?" she remarked, clearly loving Juno.
Dani made a face. "Yikes, sis. This movie was by far the one that gave me the most trouble. Too much work!"
"It turned out fantastic, but I don't know how much money it'll make..."
Hilary Duff, who had come with her sister and her best friend, Taylor, turned her head toward him.
"I think your sister is right, Dani. This is already my favorite movie you've written."
"Now I can see where The Climb comes from!" She smiled.
"Ugh, even Beer Girl is mocking me," Dani said through gritted teeth.
"I meant it as a compliment!"
"That's even worse, Hilary!" he retorted.
Meanwhile, Cam was in tears. "This is a masterpiece!"
[Dani and girls commentary]
"I need to say it. It's not just because it's my movie, but Ellen Page deserves an Oscar!" Dani remarked. "Or, at least a nomination!"
Lexi stared at him. "I agree with you. But I don't think she's the only one who deserves a nomination..."
Mischa embraced him. "Really, Dani? Two in a row?" She chuckled. She also thought the movie deserved to be nominated for Original Screenplay.
"I think Dani should win!" Prudence was bolder in her statement.
"Thanks, girls. After watching that, don't you feel like doing something?" he said.
Lexi started. "You and Prudence could sing while we sit together in front of the fireplace."
"Cuddling with each other," Mischa added, after seeing the movie's sweet ending.
Prudence finished, "And get pregnant!"
Lexi and Mischa snapped their heads in her direction.
[Commentary ends]
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