Another Reason to Skip the Movie Theater

theater Over the weekend, my family and I wanted to do something together that didn’t require a lot of money. We went to the “cheap” theatre in town and saw Valkyrie. I enjoyed the movie a lot and would have probably enjoyed it even more if I had waited until it came out on demand video so I could watch it at home.

It seems like every time I go to the movies, I always leave there asking myself if people are rude, stupid or a combination of both.

The problem I had watching the movie was with cell phones and with someone who didn’t bother to hire a babysitter and didn’t know when to leave when their child started crying. I mean, before the movie even starts there are reminders to “Be considerate of others. Turn off your cell phone. Don’t call or text during the movie.” You’d think that would be pretty self-explanatory. Yet during the movie, two cell phones went off.

While we were waiting for the picture to start, a couple brought in their child who looked to be about 1-year-old. They gave him keys to keep himself entertained which, of course, made loud jangly noises. When the movie still had about a third of the way to go, the child started crying. And he cried and he cried and he cried. Finally, the mother took him out. Then she came back in after the child had calmed down and then he started crying again.

Don’t these parents know that it is unreasonable to expect a child under four or five to stay quiet for that long? It’s torture for the child, the parents and everyone in the theatre.

When I go to a see a children’s movie, I expect a lot of noise and distraction. I don’t get upset with the kids because the movie is aimed at them and they are just doing what kids do. However, I do get disgusted at some parents because I have seen adults at kid’s movies behave rudely and carry on a conversation on a cell phone and text through half the show.

Many theatre patrons seem to think they are watching a movie in their living rooms and can make as much noise as they want and disturb as many people as they want. Their sense of entitlement knows no bounds as they say, “I paid for my ticket, I should be able to do whatever I want.” And that’s the problem. A ticket guarantees your right to see the movie, but it doesn’t mean you should be able to do as you please, particularly when that means disrupting the movie for others.