spoken for

The last movie we went to see was Bee Movie, a couple of weekends ago. Before that, it was Hairspray, and that was a treat for my sister, sister-in-law, and I, from my mom. Before that, I think, I took Sarah to see the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie as a “fair reward.”

We don’t really attend that many movies. Usually, if I go, I’m with Sarah or a friend and Steve doesn’t like to go to the theater (I think he just doesn’t like having to sit still); but this attending of Bee Movie was Elijah’s first trip to the theater. He’d been wanting to see the movie since the little preview on Over the Hedge made its way into our living room, before the movie was even finished. Sarah went with us and we met up with my friend and her son who is friends with Elijah.

We went to a theater a half an hour north of here, since it was not only on the way to my mom’s where we were staying that night, the three of us, but the closest one to my friend. Typically, I prefer the cheap theater in South St. Louis County (where “older” movies are shown) or one a half an hour West that is also smaller on both size and price.

I almost fell over when I heard our total for the tickets. For the three of us, for matinée prices, it was $18. Eighteen! And then? My friend got her and her son drinks and popcorn. Immediately I had to get us some because Elijah was already starting to mooch, of course, it was okay with my friend, but I didn’t want him just mooching and he was already saying he was thirsty. So that was another $13.75 for a thing of popcorn and two sodas and a small water for him. Typically, we either have nothing or we take in our own candy and drinks (because I refuse to encourage highway robbery), but that’s always been without Elijah.

This is really ridiculous and I’ve never understood the prices of seeing movies in the theater. A lot of people these days can’t afford to have a night out with the family at the movies anymore. Think about how much it would cost for a family of six to go out, like my size of family was, or a family of eight, like Steve’s, or, heaven forbid, a family of eleven like a friend of mine comes from. Evening prices at this particular theater are now $8.50 for adults, and according to them, if you’re twelve or over, you’re an adult. (I found that out later, they didn’t question me when I’d said I wanted one adult and two children, so technically, we should have paid more.) All for two hours of sitting in the dark with strangers while strange men with flashlights watch you like hawks. I don’t get it.

And then, if you just wait a couple of months, you can watch the thing on a $1 rental DVD from Redbox with unlimited guests and pauses while you go pee or get some food… not to mention, you can (usually) skip the previews and sometimes the warnings.

But now? Not only do we pay high prices for the cost of a ticket and food, if you want any, but we are forced to sit through previews of other movies and now, commercials. I hate it so bad to be forced to watch the commercials in the theater. This last time, for Bee Movie, they seriously had five commercials and then about 5 previews - a half an hour had gone by before the movie actually started. The boys were getting antsy and Elijah kept asking me if we were going to get to see the Bee Movie, or what? And for this G-rated children’s movie, one of the previews even scared Elijah! It was for a movie for older children, yes, but it scared smaller kids.

So what about the big screen is so appealing? Just the fact that it’s big? And in this culture, bigger is always better?

And Bee Movie itself? Don’t waste your time. It was okay, I guess. I enjoyed parts of it, but it seemed that the best parts were already in the commercials. So if you’ve seen the commercials, you’ve seen the movie. Elijah enjoyed it, so I guess that’s what is important, but I really wasn’t impressed at all.