Pick the right silver screen sidekick
As I briefly touched upon in my review last week of “The American,” who you take to a movie can sometimes determine the quality of your movie-going experience even more than the movie you choose to see. The trick is to choose the right person – or people, as the case may be – for the right movie.
For example, taking your parents to go see “300” is probably not the best idea. That sex scene combined with the naked virgin dance later in the movie can make the ride home more than a bit awkward -- unfortunately, I speak from experience. Those dudes down the hall you play “Call of Duty” with might be a better bet for a movie so drenched in testosterone.
You might think taking your geekiest friend to see “Star Trek” might be a great idea at first, but you’ll be ruing that decision once they begin to whine about Spock’s eyebrows were too long. In these situations, it’s best to go with someone who has roughly the same amount of knowledge (especially if that knowledge is nil) about the franchise.
Picking the right person is essential, but even if you have the perfect movie-going companion, you’re still not quite golden. Despite not being a variable you can change, the rest of the audience in the theater can make or break your experience as well.
I remember going to see “Van Helsing” with a couple of my buddies. Late in the movie, the female protagonist is wounded and dying in Van Helsing’s arms. As she slips away Van Helsing announces, “She’s dead,” in the absolute somberest of ways.
“No she’s not!” exclaimed the eight-year-old kid sitting two rows behind us. The whole theater exploded into laughter. That single moment is the only thing I remember from the entire movie. And because of that one moment, I look upon “Van Helsing” -- an otherwise forgettable Hugh Jackman flick -- with fond memories.
The best movie experiences often are not because of the film shown, but for the stories we get out of going to them. So the next time you’re planning a trip to the theater, ponder your guest list carefully. it can be the difference in loving a movie or hating it.
