Saturday m, 14th of November 1998, I was anxiously waiting for the neer to e out as it would be the day that the first reviews of [Sex-ed] would e out.

  I was still staying with the Spaders' because Steve and Kathy were off to New York for intervieromotion. From there they would go to Chicago and then bae. It would be two hectic days for them as they had to finish the publicity by Sunday m.

  "Stop pag, Troy," Melinda called out to me and I realized that I was indeed pag in their living room. "Everything will be fine. People will love your movie. I'm sure of that."

  She patted my bafly and led me to the couch guidio sit. I followed because it would be the polite thing to do. If I was a normal kid like Evan, I'd be sleeping my ass off at this ungodly hour, but I was too worked up to sleep in.

  "It's here!" A loud voice came from the foyer. A moment ter Johered the living room with three neers in his hands, "The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the L.A. Times."

  John handed me the New York Times while he unrolled the assed the st oo Melinda.

  I skipped directly to the eai se and leafed through the reviews of the day. And that's where I found it.

  "Sex Education: A wonderful, veritable and toug tale of childhood."

  By Michael Lawson

  I was relieved and somewhat happy reading that headline. Now that my initial worries were assuaged somewhat, I decided to read the full article.

  "...non-linear narrative makes the tone of the story light and upbeat…"

  "...marvelous performance from the three leads…"

  "...newer Troy Armitage blows everyone else out of the waters…"

  I went back to the st line and reread the whole thing.

  'Director Steve Kloves has created a fast-paced and well-crafted script with plenty of humor aable moments for everyone. Not for a moment, would the film seem to g. A major hy thing is the casting. The film showcases marvelous performances from the three leads in the characters of Mark (Troy Armitage), Jenny (Michelle Williams), and Dyn (James Franco).

  Newer Troy Armitage (9), blows everyone else out of the waters with the sheer brilliance of his nuanced performahrough the course of the story, his character goes through several emotions, from pyful to angry, from loo depressed, and every time he makes us fall in love with him again and again. Such a subtle and profound performance is unheard of for someoo achieve at such a young age.

  Michelle Williams, (Dawson's Creek fame), exudes a charm through her sheer presehat you wish to know more about her character. James Franco, another newer, pys the seale lead with his boyish charms and devilish grin to turables on you at any moment. Both Williams and Franco acted well but couldn't match up to Troy Armitage…'

  I skipped through the rest to jump at the end of the article, where the review score was mentioned and I was shocked to see it.

  'Score: 9.5/10'

  "Woah!" I let out unsciously after reading the whole article.

  "Doh your paper?" John asked me to which I raised my paper to him and we switched.

  This time it was the WSJ review.

  "Sex Education: Will make you ugh, cry, and everything iween."

  By Patty Travers

  I read through the review and I couldn't tain my smile as I read quite a simir at of what I had read i.

  "It is always said that all the great films go to the theaters and the average ones are acquired for direct TV Broadcast. While it is mostly true, there are those rare gems on TV that not oertain but also leave an indelible mark on the audience. [Sex Education] is unequivocally one of those gems. Directed with finesse aivity by Steve Kloves, this film transds the ordinary, delving into the plexities of humaionships with a refreshing blend of humor, heart, and hoy.

  At the forefront of this masterpiece is Troy Armitage, a revetion in his portrayal of the protagonist. With each frame, Armitage proves himself to be a new superstar in the making, anding the s with an effortless charisma aional depth that is simply mesmerizing. His portrayal of Mark is nothing short of captivating, drawing audiences into the character's world with an authenticity that is truly endable.

  Michelle Williams and James Franco shine in their respective roles, but at the end of the film, one ot help but think back about the little boy who carries the whole film on his capable shoulders brilliantly. Troy's s presence is very powerful, anch the film with a magiergy that keeps viewers riveted from start to finish. His nuanced performa only elicits ughter and tears but also fosters a profound e with the audience, making [Sex Education] an unfettable viewing experience.

  But it's not just the stelr performahat elevate [Sex Education] to greatness. The film itself is a masterpiece, a poignant exploration of love, friendship, and self-discovery that resonates long after the credits roll. From its masterful dire to its pelling storytelling, every aspect of this film is executed with precision and passion.

  The narrative unfolds with a perfect bance of humor a, navigating the plexities of adolesd sexuality with sensitivity and grace. Through its richly drawn characters and thought-provoking themes, [Sex Education] transds mere eai, profound insights into the human dition. The climax is a powerful one, capable of rendering even the coldest persoional. The only major pint is that this film will not be released iers and will miss out on all the Oscar buzz.

  In clusion, Sex Education is not just a film, but a tour de force that demands to be seen. Its masterful dire, pelling storytelling, and perfect performances make it a must-see for teenagers and adults alike. Prepare to ugh, cry, and everything iween, for this is filmmaking at its fi."

  I checked out the score at the end and my smile got even bigger.

  "Score: 10/10"

  Lastly, I took over the L.A. Times edition from Melinda ahe article which wasn't singing as much praise as the other critics.

  "Sex Education: A Promising Performance Amidst troversy"

  -By Brian Keller

  "[Sex Education] is a film that undeniably showcases exceptional talent, particurly in the form of its lead actor, Troy Armitage. Directed with skill aivity by Steve Kloves, the film delves into themes of adolesd sexuality with a raw hoy that is both endable and troversial.

  At the heart of this ematic journey is Troy Armitage, whose performance as the young protagonist is nothing short of remarkable. Despite his tender age, Armitage dispys maturity ah beyond his years, captivating audiences with his portrayal of Mark. His talent shihrough in every se, anding attention ahy in equal measure. Michelle Williams and James Franco also hold their own grounds with their young cast mate.

  However, it must be aowledged that [Sex Education] is not without its fws. The premise of the film tered around a 9-year-old protagonist navigating issues of sexuality has raised eyebrows and sparked debate among viewers and critics alike. While the film hahese sensitive themes with a degree of maturity and nuahere are legitimate s about the potential impa both the child actor and the audience.

  Ihe decision to cast a young actor in such a role is not without its risks. While Armitage delivers a performahat is beyond reproach, one ot help but wonder about the long-term effects of portraying such mature subject matter at such a young age. It raises questions about the responsibility of filmmakers and the industry as a whole in safeguarding the well-being of child actors.

  Furthermore, there are valid s about the potential psychological impa viewers, particurly young audiences. While the film's iions may be noble in its exploration of important issues, there is a fine liween provocation and exploitation that [Sex Education] tiptoes upon.

  In clusion, [Sex Education] is a film that undeniably showcases exceptional talent, particurly from the actors. It is a thought-provoking work that sparks important versations, but ohat ultimately leaves lingering questions about the ethics of storytelling in ema."

  I didn't like the fact that the review wasn't glowing, but at least they praised my performance, so it kind of redeemed itself. The sciven below was also on the positive side.

  Which was: 7/10

  That makes an average score of 8.8 from three major publications.

  Not bad.

  "Celebrations are in order, love," John called out to Melinda when he saw that I was done reading the st paper.

  "Yes! Why don't we go out to that tle Mexi restaurant you were telling me about yesterday." Mel replied and rubbed my head.

  "Better yet," John chipped in. "Why don't we go to Universal Studios? Evan has been wanting to go for such a long time."

  I shook my head, "You guys don't have to do that. It's just the critics, we don't know how the public will react to it. And there is still the whole troversy about my age as pointed out here in LA Times, so people could hate it as well…"

  I stopped in my ramblings when John bonked me on my head.

  "Will you stop that?" He asked rhetorically. "The movie is good and people will like it. If they don't, it won't matter much because it is only your first role and you're young. When you grow up you'll have more opportunities. So don't think too much about it and enjoy the fact that critics loved your performance."

  I could only nod in acquiesce, knowing that he was right. I am thinking about the future prospects where, as far as I know, a movie like [Sex-ed] didn't eve in my past life. My presence gave Steve the idea and caused such a big ge iimelihat a whole new movie was created.

  I had thought that if I were doing a movie as an actor, I would know the future viability of the proje terms of ercial and critical success. But such couldn't be the case with [Sex-ed]. The best project would be ohat bines both of them like Titanic, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, or something like that. But the thing is, I won't know about the future of a movie until I have either seen the inal source material or the movie itself in my past life.

  Even the people I meet only trigger memories when I reize them. For example, I reized James Franco from the very first look but the same wasn't true for Michelle Williams. When we first met, she only gave me her first was only ter on when I read her full name on the call sheet that I remembered her.

  Simirly, I don't know if Steve Kloves was some small-time writer-director in his past life because I only reize big-name directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and the like. Maybe in my past life, I didn't have much appreciation for a director's work.

  However, the big thing was that I was fucked. Kind of. If I don't know any other directors' future aplishments, I ot approach them with a specific role in my mind.

  I guess I'll have to work like any other actor then. y fingers, hoping that the movie will do well.

  "What's all this ruckus about?" Evan walked into the room while rubbing his eyes sleepily. He must have just gotten up.

  "The reviews are out," Melinda announced excitedly. "And they are rave."

  Evan looked from his parents to me before asking, "Rave means goht?"

  I chuckled, "Yes, it means the best reviews."

  "Cool," He sat o table. "So what's for breakfast."

  "Blueberry pancakes, your favorite," John announced.

  As he got busy making pancakes, Melinda turo her son, "You don't wanna gratute Troy?"

  "But he had already received good reviews at Sundance," Evan pointed out. "It's the same film, only longer, right?"

  Whe it like that… It was true. Why was I even waiting for the reviews?

  Melinda shook her head at Evan's y, "That's a little iive of you, Evan. Would you like me to be indiffereime you get good grades in school because of your st performance?"

  "No," Evan fessed and I could see a bit of shame on his face as he turo me. "grats, bro. It's good that your film is a hit."

  "It's not a hit, at least not yet," I said. At his fused expression, I went on to expin how a film be a 'hit' with the critics without it being a 'hit' with the audience. After all, what's a great film if no oches it?

  "Here you go kiddos," John announced while pg a pancake ea front of Evan and me. "Get started, I'll bring more."

  And just like that, the day went back to normal. Seeing John make surprisingly delicious pancakes was an almost surreal experience when I knew for a fact that he had a super busy schedule, and barely had any time for Evan.

  In trast, there was Steve. He had to rarely spend any time away from home for work, because he could just write a script directly from our living room, or his study. Of the two, if I had to select a profession, I would gdly select Steve's. While John robably making a ton of money, what was the point if you could not spend some time with your family regurly?

  "Is it not good?" John broke me out of my musings, only to realize that I had stopped eating.

  "No, it's great," I said while taking another bite. "Just thinking about the film."

  "Don't," He insisted. "Enjoy your breakfast. I have the day off, and I would love to take you and Evan to Universal Studios as we discussed."

  "We're going to the Universal Studios!?" Evan shrieked excitedly as all his lethargy vanished in an instant. "Yes! Dad, you're the best!"

  ___________________________

  AN: Read upto 20 chapters ahead on my Pat reon/fableweaver