Just the basics, folks. Imagine watching a movie, and seated beside you is someone who’s texting every 10 minutes. It is the most annoying movie experience one can have.
Even if the mobile phone is silent, its intermittent flashes of light are extremely bothersome. Maybe texting once is tolerable; more than that means you’re not being considerate of others. Manners are exactly that: basic consideration of those around you.
It’s in the movies where you see a mix of different personalities, and you don’t even have to speak to them, not like at a party. It’s where you see how people behave, and most people act as if there is no one else in the movie theater except them.
For instance, the food people bring in. Again, popcorn, nachos, chips and a drink are standard movie fare, with the occasional candy bar or gummi bears. What do they have in common? None of them smells. Okay, so buttered popcorn smells, but it smells nice.
A burger loaded with onions or fried chicken or even pizza does not smell anywhere near good. It can be nauseating. So aside from cell phone etiquette inside the movie theater, please observe food choices; consider the smell as well.
Getting out of the theater is another thing altogether. Please allow the people in front of you to go ahead of you in moving out of their seats to the aisle. If there is space, you can move forward. You might ask, which theater does she go to? Believe it or not, jostling happens everywhere, even in supposedly high-end theaters.
Holding hands
About kissing and cuddling. Although I see nothing wrong with couples holding hands or having their arms around each other while watching a movie, I would advice that it be left at that. Anything beyond that makes those around you completely uncomfortable.
At a cartoon or a family movie, it is adorable to hear children’s laughter or gasps of excitement. But in a movie that is neither a cartoon nor a family movie, children have no place. I’ve seen families bring small children to action films, and more serious films where they wiggle, whine and cry.
Please don’t kick the chair in front of you. I suffer such fate each time I watch a movie. When you kick the chair in front of you, it bothers the person seated on it. I once looked back at the woman seated behind me, and she still did not get it. If someone was kicking your seat from behind, you would get annoyed, too.
Lastly, this is a true story and I am even embarrassed to write it. Do not remove your shoes in the moviehouse. How did I know someone removed his shoes close to where I was seated? The smell.
Next time you go and enjoy a movie, kindly be considerate to those around you so that they, too, can enjoy the movie. Wait for the DVD? Well, that too, but sometimes it is more enjoyable to watch a movie on the big screen.
