Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Dear Obnoxious Woman Sitting Behind Me in the Movie Theater,

{Following my rant is a perfectly lucid review of Disney's latest, Tangled, which I happened to enjoy}
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Dear Obnoxious Woman Sitting Behind Me in the Movie Theater,

I am so glad that my $8 movie ticket included your running commentary spoken at conversation-level volume. It completely enhanced my special surprise afternoon out with my girls to hear you pointing out. every. single. thing. to your granddaughter, who quite frankly seemed as if she'd prefer to be home in her toddler bed taking a nap.

The highlight for me was when she sneezed on the back of my head (twice) and when you both shouted "Go, Neigh Neigh, Go!" directly in my ear during the chase scene. That was pretty great.

I'm so happy you were also able to get cell phone reception. I turned my own phone off because I was sure I wouldn't be able to take calls during the movie. You sure proved me and Verizon and those "Please silence your phones" movie ads wrong. It was so thoughtful of you to hold a conversation with your friend, letting her know where you were and finally asking if you could call her back.

Your idea to let your granddaughter lay in the aisle when the lights went down was superb, I must say. She made for a fabulous speed bump when I got up to take my two year old to the restroom. I must have been exiting too quickly.

I apologize for letting my inner b*&%$ out by giving you the death look and turning around to ask you to please whisper. I didn't realize how shocking that would be. I suppose I don't know much about movie theater etiquette. Thanks for setting me straight.

Love, Amanda

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I used to love going to the movies. There's something about disappearing into a story for a couple of hours that I find exciting and relaxing. Going to the movies was always a big treat when I was growing up, and I was so excited to take my girls to see Tangled last week.

However, it seems that more and more often our theater experience is ruined by obnoxious, rude, selfish people with absolutely no social graces. It doesn't matter whether I'm sitting with my girls watching a G-rated film, or out with my Chick Flick Club; it has become increasingly difficult to enjoy a film without some sort of rude interruption. I'm always willing to give children the benefit of the doubt, but I expect adults (especially ladies my mom's age!) to know better than to talk through an entire movie.

Here's a hint: if your child can't sit still for longer than 10 minutes and can't follow a storyline at all, maybe you should forgo the $7 movie ticket until he/she is a bit older. You'll save yourself and your fellow theater-goers a pain in the rear (or ear).

That said, we really did enjoy Tangled. We saw the film in 2D. I know this will make me sound like a MeeMaw, but I prefer good, old-fashioned animation. 3D gives me a headache, and we head to travel 20 minutes North on the interstate to find a theater showing Tangled in 2D. The lighting in the animation was reminiscent of some older Disney films, but with newer technology to appeal to today's savvy kids.

I don't want to give anything in the plot away, but the characters were fun. Flynn Rider, the hero, is a dashing rogue with some great one-liners. Mother Gothel stole the show in a fabulous performance of "Mother Knows Best," and the kids loved the horse, a determined member of the police force named Maximus. Rapunzel is beautiful, smart, and kind. The girls are in love with her.

Unlike The Princess and the Frog, I don't recall any overly scary moments that upset my girls or gave them nightmares. Instead, they both want to play Rapunzel, and let's just say I've already gone out and purchased a set of Disney dolls for Christmas that includes this latest princess.

Despite Disney's attempt to "androgynize" the film by renaming it Tangled, I think it still appeals to a female audience a bit more. But the chase scenes, clever hero, and hilarious outlaws in the tavern might win your boy over.

I give it two thumbs up. Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it yet:


{Have you seen anything great at the movies lately?}


*Check back on Thursday for a Giveaway from my Blessings Unlimited shop!

25 comments:

  1. Ah, so sorry you had to suffer threw sitting near a rude movie goer. Thanks for the review too, I've been thinking about taking my two to it.

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  2. Amen! I hate when people are so rude in the theaters. I barely let Vince even talk tome when we go out to atch a movie, I love absorbing every little bit. :-) I've been wanting to see Tangled actually but I doubt Vince will comply. Haha!

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  3. We saw Tangled last Friday and loved it! Seven of us went--we went the 3D route--and it was $74!! I almost dropped my teeth! While my two granddaughters (ages 9 and 5) were really into it, my grandsons (ages 7 and 4) liked it, too. Maximus made the difference, I think. There was enough chasing to satisfy them and enough girly stuff to satisfy everyone else. My adult daughters liked that Rapunzel wasn't a helpless twit waiting to be rescued!

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  4. We went to see Megamind this weekend and it was 3-D...of course 3-D movies are 3 bucks more per ticket.

    I have to admit, it felt really great to endure the child behind me rocking my chair from behind after spending $50+ to see that movie. Oh, the baby crying was just a bonus :)

    Ah, it felt good to get that out...

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  5. We don't do 3D movies either. They freak my oldest son out and I can't stand paying $3 extra per person! To avoid the obnoxious people at the theater, we rarely go to a movie the first two weekend that it is out. That way there are less people to annoy us and we are more likely to get good seats:)

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  6. Oh my word, funny! But I'm sorry your special afternoon was less than stellar.
    I totally hate it when people are talking loudly on their cell phones in public, like we all need to hear. Especially when it's one hooked over their ear so it looks like they're just walking along talking to nobody like a crazy person.

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  7. Funny post about a not so funny situation. Ugh! I hate rude people! I'm glad the movie was good though. My kids would like to see that.

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  8. I hear ya! Most of the time I'd rather just wait for the DVD so I can watch it at home.

    I have to say I was cracking up at the stories about this awful woman and her bad theater etiquette. Too funny! I think the sneezes put me over the edge. (Poor you!)

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  9. Rude people drive me crazy too! Sorry you had to deal with one of them.

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  10. Amanda, I'm sorry you had such a poor experience..how rude of that woman..I have not been in a movie theatre in a long time, they are too expensive for us retired folk, and I have a hard time sitting that long. Hubby is hard of hearing and he would probably be one of those old farts saying 'what what what'..so we decline to go..Glad you enjoyed the show..another thing about cell phones in public, count me among those who don't give a rats butt about someone else's phone convo. Keep it quiet and use some common sense!!

    Barb

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  11. I wish that woman would read your blog and learn a lesson! Honestly, it is a shame that so many people don't practice even the most elementary of social graces when they're in public.

    My 13-year-old took his 9-year-old cousin to see Tangled. It was his idea. He said to me, "I bet Grace would like to see that movie," and of course he was right. I was so proud of him! Grace adored the movie, and Lee said it was "good for a princess movie."

    I'm like you--I prefer 2D. I prefer the 2D ticket price, too! :)

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  12. I too love it when people talk through an entire movie. The best is when the people behind you have obviously seen the movie before because they can pretty much quote it line for line to each other. There is nothing like listening to the dialogue of the movie twice - once on the screen and once in 2second delay from the people sitting direclty behind you. Woo hoo!

    Glad you liked the movie though, and I'm especially glad to hear that there are no scary scenes like in Princess and the Frog.

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  13. Oh goodness, what a bummer! Although the post is super funny, I can imagine how irritating it must have been. I don't understand people like that either! Just rent the movie so you can talk all you want!

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  14. I'm with you. I can't tell you how bad my whiplash is from having the back of my chair kicked several times this past weekend. Hope the girls enjoyed the movie anyway.

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  15. I haven't been to a movie in years! The last movie I saw was the Passion of the Christ. It was a 1st date and that movie is the movie this man took me to see. Not that I didn't think it was a good movie but definitely not a 1st date movie (there was no 2nd date!).

    I'm sorry that lady was so rude and it spoiled your movie experience like that!

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  16. How incredibly annoying!

    When I took my son to see Harry Potter, there was a group of 5 behind us who only ONE had seen any of the other SIX movies. So, she felt the need to explain to the other 4 what was going on. My son turned around and shushed her.

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  17. Well said. This is exactly why I haven't gone to a movie in about 2 years. It's all I can think about, therefore missing the point of the movie in the first place. So I don't go because it ruins the experience for the rest of my group. A couple times I have asked for my money back or a new ticket for a different showing.... but it still gets in my head and ruins the day.

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  18. *lol* Love your letter! I have to really want to see a movie to go to the theater to see it... there was a kids birthday party when I went to see Harry Potter this weekend and they were chatting and running around the whole time. Ugh!

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  19. We saw Harry Potter last weekend and everyone was remarkably well behaved. However, at my son's orchestra concert last week, I was giving the glare of doom to a woman behind me and it did no good whatsoever. Rude people are just clueless.

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  20. Sorry you had to deal with that at the movie with your girls-one reason I'd much rather watch a movie in my own living room-too bad people don't realize what they are doing and how annoying it is-glad you liked the movie-my girls want to see it

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  21. Oh my.... talkers just kill me. In the last Harry Potter movie, there was a lady who had a running commentary in the row behind me. I hate it.

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  22. I am with ya on the obnoxious people at the movies. UGH! I don't even want people to talk out loud before the movie starts. Whisper people! UGH! So rude! I just love your sarcastic wit! Sarcasm is my second language!

    I can't wait to see Tangled. Hopefully we'll get to go sometimes soon. It looks wonderful!!!

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  23. Glad to hear this movie is one you enjoyed. We all want to see it!!
    And as for the rude lady and her grandchild. Ridiculous! I would have turned around and said, "Do you mind??" LOL
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  24. Amanda, I'm sorry I've been so absent. Life seems to have taken over! Your letter is hilarious and also so true. I've had so many experiences like this in children's movies. One time a woman yelled at me when I looked (only looked!) at her screaming, squirmy 15 month old who really did not want to be in that movie theater. "He's a baby!" she yelled at me. Yes. That's why she shouldn't have brought him to the movie theater!!!!

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  25. well ... i don't want to sell you anything ... but i found your post amusing ... and i've got a solution for you that involves less stress in the midst of public obnoxiousness. i couldn't find somewhere to send a private message (because i'm afraid if i post a link, it might be spam nonetheless, but that isn't my goal). in any case, i learned a few stress-reducing strategies for theaters, and i'll include the url ... but if you prefer links are not included, i will completely understand if you delete this comment. basically, you just have to consistently punish the behavior and it will stop ;)

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