Movie’s are after all about entertainment. If you choose to watch a movie while you are doing chores around the house, that’s okay. If you join halfway through, that’s okay. You can even a watch a series out of order if you so choose. Whatever floats your boat.
All of that being said, there is such thing as movie etiquette – specifically theater etiquette. We’ve all seen the little animated shorts they do at the start of a film telling you not to talk on your phones, or to turn the ringers down and those are all super important so as to not interrupt other moviegoers. But I’m not talking about those social niceties.
Anyone that has ever been to a theater with me knows that I have 3 very strict rules for watching a movie. Nothing will annoy me more than the breaking of these 3 rules. In fact, if you ask my mother, I will get up and move seats.
Please don't ask me questions that I couldn't possibly know how to answer. Don’t go crazy here; I’m not saying that it’s not okay to ask a question here or there. Sometimes you can’t hear or perhaps you need a quick refresher on a backstory. Those are all acceptable questions. What I’m referring to is the person that leans in and says, "Who is that? Why is he wearing that? Is he a bad guy?" I don’t know, I’m watching the same movie - at the same time as you! If they haven’t already divulged that information how the heck would I know!?!
There is no judging when you watch a movie! Look, sometimes I cry during films. I’m not talking about films that you expect one to cry at either. (Confession, I cried at the theater when I watched the Adam Sandler movie Click.) A good movie to me is one that helps us to forget we are watching fiction. So if you jump because something scares you, or you cry because you feel someone’s pain or if you cry because what the character said was just too damn sweet – that’s great! And we shouldn’t be worried our movie partner’s are going to laugh at our emotions.
Rule number three is the most important rule. There is an awful lot that goes into making a movie. Often times crew members work 12 hour days 5-6 days a week for a minimum of 8 weeks. When you work on a film, you do not get sick days or personal days. You are expected to be on set every day, rain or shine, snow or heat. While it is a fun job, it can be very physically and mentally demanding. And to make matters worse, it’s not necessarily a high paying job (ask any PA). To me, the crew are unsung heroes. So the best way to show appreciation for their work, is that we must stay through all of the credits. Every name on that list represents someone who made the film you just watched possible. If you can sit through 2 hours of a movie as bad as Howard the Duck, you can sit through 5 minutes of people’s names.
I realize that my rules may seem silly to some. Actually probably to most, but I’m okay with that. We are hard pressed to find a better way of watching a movie then at a theater. It’s a whole experience and nowadays it can be quite an expensive experience at that. It’s probably a mix of my time working on film sets and just my own special brand of crazy that makes these rules so important to me, but I know I’m not alone on having little things that bother me when watching films. So next time you go to a movie think about the things that bother you most and realize you are not alone! Happy viewing my friends!
