Movie Theater Morals

This past weekend we had the pleasure of going on a date at a local theater that has recently turned into a discount theater. On this particular Saturday they were having a free admission day to spread the word about their new business venture and to give back to the community. It was a great opportunity for us to get out without having to spend a lot of money and we even got to see a movie we had missed the first time it was in theaters (can I just say on a side note that if you haven't seen Courageous, you MUST!).

Because we didn't have to pay for tickets we did indulge in a large popcorn and drink which came to a whopping $10...slightly horrifying but still a fraction of what tickets to a regular priced movie would have cost. As we were enjoying our refreshments and waiting for the movie to start, the owner of the theater came in to greet everyone and talk about the new changes occurring at the theater. He is hoping to host a free day each month but they have to sell enough concessions to be able to counter the costs of that. Because of this he asked that nobody bring in their own refreshments and that because they were being so generous in offering the movies for free, if they caught someone doing so they would be banned from the theater. Harsh? I don't think so especially since tickets were free and you weren't obligated to purchase something from concessions.

Fast forward to today when I was a part of a Facebook discussion about whether or not I sneak in my own snacks when going to the theater. Now it was easy for me to side with the owner of the theater that wasn't charging anything for tickets, but how do I feel when it comes to a full priced event? Can I just say not only was I in the minority when I said I didn't think it was right, but I was the only one out of more than 50 people voicing their opinions who answered that way. This kind of baffled me so I looked into it some more and found that this question had been asked before in various forums and it seemed that when the question of sneaking in food came up the resounding response is not only, "Yes, I do it" but it is also more times than not backed with a justification based on the prices of not only movie tickets but concessions themselves.

I get it. Really, I do. As a family of 5 if we attempt to go to a regular priced movie we are out almost $50. It seems just wrong to see a movie in the theater without the popcorn so that is at least $5 added to the bill and you can't ingest that much salt without something to wash it down with so tack on another $5 for a drink. $60 for a 2 hour experience that I could pay a dollar for if I wait for it to come to Redbox and do it in my own house. Looking at it through those eyes it is easy to bust out the extra big purse, start popping some popcorn in the microwave and make a stop at the dollar store for cheap movie style candy before heading to the next showing. Honestly, there was a time when I used to do this very thing.

But is it right? Am I justified? Here's the way I look at it. I am not obligated to buy concessions when I go to the movie. That is a choice. If I am horrified by the cost of said snacks I can make a stand by not purchasing them. Heck, I can make an even bigger stand by avoiding theaters all together (which, by the way, I usually do because it just doesn't fit in our budget. Hence us jumping on the free movie day opportunity). I think using the cost as a reason to bring in my own stuff is like saying the price at a restaurant is an excuse not to tip the waiter. When you choose a restaurant with a waitstaff you need to go in expecting to include that into your cost. If you aren't willing to do that, you really should be going to self-serve places instead or just eating at home. I feel the same about the movies - if you aren't willing to pay for the services, skip them or don't go.

Another thing I have to wonder is, if it is okay in the eyes of so many, why do you have to sneak it in? Big purses, coats with extra pockets, and diaper bags are just a few of the ways people have been known to carry in outside goodies. But if the practice of bringing in your own food is something you feel fine doing, why not walk right in with the food in hand? Obviously taking these kind of measures to hide it signifies an understanding that what you are doing isn't allowed and if you were to blatantly do it there may be ramifications. If that is the case, how can it be right?

I understand that to most this is a pretty mild moral dilemma. Anything that we can recognize as fairly popular practice is easy to shrug off and consider no big deal. For me, this really began to strike a chord after I had my kids. What do I say to them when they read that big sign that says "No outside food or beverages permitted" while stashing boxes of jujubes I stuffed in their pockets? Or when I tell them we have to wait until it's dark in the theater to eat our goodies and to make sure to hide them if a person with a flashlight comes around? Would I really feel good teaching them that it's okay to be sneaky if it involves spending too much money or that it's no big deal because everyone else does it? For me the answer is no. I don't feel okay teaching them that. There is right and there is wrong and when I began to blur the line on that I am treading on a very slippery slope.

Now obviously going into this post I knew that my opinion on this subject was not a popular one. Having said that, I would love to hear your two cents on it. Either side of the fence I am interested to have you weigh in on the right or wrong of bringing your own food into a theater. Hit me with it - In your opinion, is it okay and why or why not?

Family Movie Night

I have been talking lately about how we have been trying to be more intentional with our time as a family. While on one hand we are trying to be more disciplined financially and organizationally, we also want to be intentional in taking time to have fun with our kids. So one of the things we discuss every week as we sit down and discuss our upcoming weeks plans is Family Night. This week we decided on movie and pizza. We decided to let the kids make their own pizzas. This was not just the cheaper way to go but more importantly it makes for great memories. I really love spending time in the kitchen with the boys, it is such a great way to bond with them and they always have so much fun. Here is what our night looked like (the boys are a little hard to separate as grandma had just given them the same colored shirt and they have matching buzz cuts:) :

The movie

The food

Lots of cheese!

Jordan liked the pepperoni

Heavy on the olives

He's a one on the pizza two in my mouth kind of kid:)

Excited about his microwavable smore

Yum, Yum!

 On a side note we made our smores using then new Dark Chocolate Granola Thins from Nature Valley. I liked it! The granola was kind of sweet and the chocolate was already on there so you didn't have to buy it separately. The peanut butter ones would be good as well with a piece of chocolate on top, for those of you crazy people who actually like peanut butter;)

 

Don't you hate it...

When you watch a movie after having read the book? Luckily, I rarely am a person who happens to pick a book to read before they make it into a movie. I can count on one hand the times I have done that. And of all those times, there was only one that I didn't feel truly disappointed after watching the movie. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was tolerable in movie format. They basically stuck to the story line and I loved all the actresses. I HATE, HATE, HATE (or as my mom would say STRONGLY DISLIKE) Confessions of A Shopaholic as a movie. It is so ridiculously not what the book was. Granted there are like 5 or 6 books in that series and each book is pretty lengthy so that would be hard to fit into a 1 1/2 to 2 hour movie. But still...horrid. In reverse, I am sometimes thankful that I watched a movie instead of reading the book. Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies and I imagine had I read the book first I wouldn't feel this way.

What has prompted this book versus movie rant? Last night I watched My Sister's Keeper for the first time. About a month back I read this very book. My sister-in-law read it first and told me I had to read the book before watching the movie. I really enjoyed the story line and after reading it she filled me in on some of the discrepancies between the book and the on screen version. But actually watching it, seeing for myself how very different they were; exasperating. First of all, they completely left out a character. The entire love story in the book. They bring up the fact that Anna's locket is gone but never reveal why. Jesse...dyslexic? Nope, not even close to what his problem's were in the book. I was actually starting to get excited when I watched the scenes with Taylor in them because they seemed to be getting it right on but then the scene at the dance was way more sexual then the book. I understand that makes for more enjoyable viewing for some people. I could go on and on but let's just jump right to the end of the movie. So completely different. And what I don't understand is why. The book's ending is way more dramatic and provides that twist that every good movie evidently has. That thing that makes you say, "wow...I didn't see that coming."

Mostly I feel sorry for my husband. I had originally planned to watch this with my sister-in-law so we could pick it apart together but he picked it up remembering that I had wanted to watch it. I am sure that he was unable to enjoy it because I kept saying, "WHAT! NO, that is not how it goes," and then would precede to give the real details from the book. I hate to be that person but you can't just sit and watch something like that without speaking up. I am learning my lesson and avoiding movies after books unless I am by myself or with someone else who has read the book. That means Dear John will have to be a rental on a night Jeremy is working because I am sure it will not satisfy and I will need to dialogue while watching it!