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Chapter 25

HOW TO BEHAVE IN A MOVIE THEATER

Which is worse?

1. Talking to your friends during a movie.

2. Talking back to the screen during a movie.

3. Talking on your cell phone during a movie.

Obviously, this is a trick question. All three of them are rude, ungentlemanly ways to behave. Any one of them can ruin the movie-going experience for the rest of the audience.

There’s one simple reason people spend their money to go to a movie: They expect to have fun. They do not expect to have to listen to the conversations of the people sitting around them. The only people they want to hear talking are the people up on the screen.

Even your friends will think you’re obnoxious if you continue to talk, rustle your popcorn, or slurp your soda during the movie. The next time you say, “Want to go with me to a movie?” they may simply tell you, “Sorry. Maybe another time.”

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Make sure to demonstrate to your friends that you can enjoy a movie without disturbing other viewers. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to go alone.

YOU DO

Turn your cell phone off—or at least turn off the ringer or put it on vibrate when you go to a movie.

YOU DON’T

Assume that your telephone call is so important that it can justify your ruining the movie for others.

Why

No call you receive is that important. If a gentleman really needs to answer a call, he gets up from his seat and doesn’t start talking until he’s reached the lobby.

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YOU DO

Feel free to laugh when something is funny, or scream when something is scary. It is also Okay to cry when something is sad.

YOU DON’T

Feel free to talk with your friends about what is happening on the screen.

Why

Screaming and laughing are part of the fun of going to the movie. It is not cool, however, to give your opinion of the movie while other people are trying to watch it.

A gentleman stops talking as soon as the movie begins.

When a gentleman arrives at a movie that has already begun, he enters as quietly as he can and tries to find a seat as quickly as possible. He does not roam up and down the aisle, disturbing other people.

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There are times when a gentleman must speak during a movie—for example, when he asks his friend to pass the popcorn. However, he keeps his comments as brief, and as quiet, as possible.

A gentleman knows that watching a movie at home is different from watching a movie in a theatre. At home, he and his friends can hit the pause button to talk or take a bathroom break. There is no pause button in a movie theatre.