Chapter 119: Trump Card
As the film drew to a close, the President on the silver screen stood in the light of dawn and delivered an impassioned speech. The audience in the theater was beside themselves with excitement, but Roger Ebert merely shook his head. From beginning to end, the film was brimming with crude, heavy-handed emotional manipulation. Its biggest selling point was its highly realistic special effects, and the previously established themes of family bonds clearly resonated with the viewers, but he simply could not bring himself to like it!
Dazzled by the fiery explosions, deafened by the thunderous booms, and utterly nauseated by the vulgar plot, Roger Ebert had forced himself to endure and analyze the movie for a while, but he was filled with revulsion. This particular sequence, which had the audience cheering and the entire theater practically boiling over, pushed his disgust to its absolute peak.
"July 4th will no longer be an American holiday... Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"
Applause and cheers rang out from the theater's speakers, and the audience erupted into even louder ovations, as if they wanted the whole world to hear and see their sheer excitement.
Although he was a quintessential American citizen, Roger Ebert considered himself utterly above such vulgarity. He had reached his absolute limit with this blatant pandering to the American audience designed to empty their wallets. Behind his glasses, his eyebrows were knitted so tightly they nearly formed a knot!
He rose slowly, sweeping his gaze across the room, and headed for the exit. He kept looking back over his shoulder as he walked; after all, this was Chicago, the city where his influence ran deepest!
Yet ninety-nine percent of the audience had been whipped into a frenzy by the film. Swept up in the thrill of it all, they could not care less about a film critic's reaction. Even as Roger Ebert walked out the doors, not a single person followed in his footsteps—no one even spared a glance at his retreating back.
Pausing at the theater entrance, Roger Ebert looked back inside one last time. Every single viewer was fixated on the screen. It was as if no one remembered greeting the renowned film critic before the movie began, and no one noticed his early departure.
Even here in Chicago, the audience cared far more about the movie itself than they did about a film critic!