#034 Distracted Movie Viewing

I like going to see movies in a theater. It's an enjoyable experience, especially for high-action movies where there's a lot going on and the surround-sound adds to the impact of the movie.

However, I CAN'T STAND when people talk or make noise during the movie. It's one thing to have a quick whisper about something funny that just happened, or to tell someone you're going for a refill... but it's completely another thing to actually talk to one another while the movie proceeds, or to cause noise such that the audience cannot hear what's going on in the movie.

A couple of years ago I went to a small-town theater where I was watching a PG-13 romantic comedy with a friend of mine, and there was a group of teenaged girls sitting two rows back from us. Within a dialogue-filled part of the movie, the girls were arguing over whose turn it was to have the gummy bears. I finally got so fed up with it that I turned around and sharply said, "Girls, PLEASE" and they got the point and shut the hell up.

Recently I went to see a (rated R) serious drama/thriller movie which contained some adult situations. To my surprise, some grandparent-figures brought their toddler, and there were two rows of 8-12 teenagers each watching this movie as well. When one of the adult situations came up with some rather crude language, the teenagers all giggled, and the giggling led to more giggling because they were giggling at the giggling. This was NOT a giggling situation! It just totally ruined the mood of the movie for me.

As they were all leaving the movie, they agreed "We should have seen [random cartoon movie], that would have been way better." Yes. Yes it would have been way better. Because then you could have seen something that was more age-appropriate for you instead of wasting your $7.50 on a movie you thought you might like, but instead ruined the experience for the rest of the audience. Yes. Thank you.

Bitches.