This is going to be an “Alan Rant,” so bear with me. Recently, my friend and I watched a movie called Strange Darling at our local AMC theater in Santa Monica. It is a small indie film, so if you are looking for something niche and fresh, I highly recommend it. My only issue? Two high-school-age kids sitting behind us chatted openly throughout the entire movie, making it one of the most annoying and distracting experiences I have ever had in a theater.
I go to the movies a lot, so I have encountered my fair share of irritating moviegoers. The most common offenders are people using their phones at maximum brightness. Like… come on, guys. I would prefer that moviegoers turn off their phone once the movie starts, but I understand that sometimes people need to check it. So, please, just lower the brightness. Another pet peeve of mine is people showing up late. The worst instance was during the opening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, when the movie was setting up an emotional moment to honor Chadwick Boseman, and late stragglers were squeezing past us to get to their seats, completely ruining the atmosphere. Great job, guys.
Now, I am perfectly okay with people reacting or cheering during key moments, especially in big blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame or Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even a quick side to clarify something is fine. But openly chatting throughout a movie? Completely unacceptable. This is not your living room. We have paid for a theatrical experience, and to disrupt that with your selfishness is just plain arrogant. What is even more frustrating is that Strange Darling is a suspense thriller that depends on a balance of silence and energy to build tension. But those moments are ruined when two loudmouths decide their conversation is more important than the film.
Like, what are you doing? What are you actually doing? What kind of person thinks it is okay to talk openly and continuously in a movie theater? How do these people exist in society? Who raised these people? I want to find the parents/guardians responsible for these kids and tell them you failed in raising these idiots. About two-thirds of the way through, my friend finally turned around and asked them to keep it down. Honestly, they should not have been talking at all, but keeping it down felt like a small win. Instead, they muttered some choice words under their breath and kept chatting until the credits rolled.
Going to the movies is a shared social experience, and we all know the basic etiquette: do not talk, do not use your phone, and do not show up late. These courtesies are often bent, but openly talking is blasphemous, as Stephen A would say. I do not know if these kids had ever been to a theater before—it sure seemed like they had not. I love movies, and I love the theater experience, but this kind of behavior is why the industry is struggling. If we want to keep moviegoing alive, we all need to do better.
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