Movie Etiquette/ Things not to do when going to the movies

You finally score a date with the hot girl at the office and she wants to see Johnny Depp and Pirates of the Caribbean. You count your blessings that she didn’t chose a movie like The Breakup and oblige. Now you decide that the 9 o clock time is a good one and leaves you a little time for some after movie activities to wrap up a lovely evening. So you get there early to get a good seat. Mission accomplished as you get a rear middle seat for you and your lovely date. Things are going good. Than a family of 5 come in with 3 year old in tow. The kid is sleeping until the first action sequence for which the child wakes an is screaming uncontrollably. The parents simply tell the kid to shut up an innumerable amount of times and the dialogue in the movie is drowned out through toddler tantrum. So, what to do? This guide is set up to tell you what not to do.

1- Do not hold a place for your late arriving buddies in a long line– Nothing will draw more scorn than someone anxious to see a well anticipated flick (Harry Potterites, Lord of the Rings buffs, etc al) getting cut in front of by some late arriving friends of someone ahead of you. Its just flat out rude. If they cannot dedicate the time to wait in line, they should get the seat that corresponds to their line position.

2- Buy your refreshments before the movie starts– Nothing is more annoying than having a large person going through you in the middle of an important piece of dialogue or a sick action sequence. If you are going to be hungry, stock up, stay seated, and hold it in.

3- Come on time– My biggest peeve is when snobby people come into the theater and scout the whole upper levels to try and move people from their seats to accommodate them when the whole lower level is empty. If you wanted the seat that bad, come early and wait like the rest of us.

4- Dont space out your seats– I know you teenage boys would hate to be touching feet and all but if you go in a group of 5, spacing out the prime seats is simply a lack of etiquette. Try cutting it down to one seat in between or better yet, just sit together and watch the movie.

5- Keep the kids at home– Sure you may have to spend 20 bucks on a babysitter but the rest of us appreciate you leaving junior at home. Just like my story in the beginning of this post, its just flat out selfish to expect the rest of us to be ok with a screaming kid while watching a movie.

6- Keep the drugs out of the movies– Occasionally there will be some people that either have the audacity to smoke a joint in the theater or come in reeking like marijuana. Sometimes these people are at movies that are kid friendly. Save the joint until after the movie.

Please, rent Monsters In and don’t bring this guy.