Everybody knows that movie theaters can be challenging places to see a film, particularly if it’s a movie that draw running commentary from the audience or involves a lot of children. We present this self-identified “rant” on Brooklynian about the Pavilion on the Park Slope/Windsor Terrace border, which comes from a showing of Iron Man:
Last night I went to a movie which was rated PG but as a mother of a four year old, was NOT appropriate for a four year old. The theater was FILLED with kids (Iron Man). Now there is a lot of explosions and shooting which is not something I want my kid to see yet but that is not my post. Kids TALK (which is what kids do and why they should go to matinees). The little boy behind us was asking a MILLION questions as he was clearly frightened and trying to understand and reduce his anxiety. Finally a guy asked the mother if he could please have her child be quiet. WHOA….it just immediately turned into a race thing. It ended with the mother saying, “baby, you go ahead and ask me AS MANY questions as you want. Go right ahead” and of course he did and he was louder then ever. How sad. This kid was just taught to be rude to another adult. I know we like to think Park Slope is the land of the rainbow, but obviously things are not idyllic in this segregated fairy tale.
Here’s a follow-up post by the same person:
O.K. to spell it out….the mother was african american. The guy who piped up was a white Park Slope father (he said he was a father). The mother was OUTRAGED that a white man asked HER son to be quiet and said so. I don’t want to quote the extended tirade that went on (on both sides) but it made me sad for the kid and sad that we still live in a world where race most obviously DOES matter despite the platitudes and worried Obama is not electable.
All from going to see a movie.
12 responses so far ↓
1 thwarted // May 13, 2008 at 11:53 am
oh, fercryinoutloud
one: don’t want your kid to see “explosions and shooting”? RESEARCH THE MOVIE FIRST.
two: “kids TALK (which is what kids do and why they should go to matinees)”? NO. sorry, kids aren’t entitled to talk in movie theaters, whether it’s a matinee or not. I suppose adults should just avoid all matinees, then, since they’re for children?
2 tigerlily // May 13, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Thwarted:
What I gathered was that she didn’t take her 4 year old and she was upset that others did for both the violence and the yacking.
As for the matinée; she’s not saying “all others stay home. This is baby territory” She’s saying “I know kids will be at theaters and given the choice between the matinée and evening show; for the love of god take them in the afternoon so adults can rule the night.
3 Jessica // May 13, 2008 at 12:26 pm
This is precisely why I hate to venture into Park Slope.
4 Kanga // May 13, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I have to agree with thwarted. Children should not be talking in a theater. Period. Many adults go to matinées because it is cheaper, and usually less crowded.
If you children can not handle a movie – leave. Yes, you paid your money, but so did I and I expect to watch a movie with out running commentary from children.
5 S // May 13, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I think Gowanus Lounge is posting too many “rants” where the poster is kind of shrill and not being very realistic.
There are indeed many legitimate things to rant about in the world. But the OP writes about a situation that happens at pretty much every movie theater… kids are loud… someone answers their cellphone… people talk as if they are in their living room.
Yes, this happens at EVERY movie theater.
Some theater are a bit worse, some a bit better. But I haven’t found the Pavilion to be in anyway particularly suspect in this regard. It’s just a regular theater.
YES, it is completely rude when people do these things. I personally politely ask people to stop talking, or whatever the problem is. Usually, one of two things happen. The people realize they are disrupting other people. Or two, the people decide I have insulted their “right” to be jerks.
6 r // May 13, 2008 at 2:47 pm
first of all – iron man is rated PG-13! There has been a hot debate in my house whether or not to take my 7 yr old who is a big fan of video games and very familiar with video game violence so I’m leaning towards taking him but I’d never go to a night show – and I wouldn’t have taken him at 4 yr old anyway; I wonder why they didn’t see Speed Racer instead – which is rated PG.
7 Anonymous // May 13, 2008 at 3:45 pm
At least people are seeing this film. that’s all Hollywood cares about.
8 Mew // May 13, 2008 at 7:58 pm
People should just stop being iresponsible parents all together. I know it won’t ever happen, but it would be nice. There are certain movies small children just should never see, but parents take them anyway. Why does a 4 year old need to be at a movie like Iron Man? Why would any parent think the movie is decent for such a young child? I don’t think Speed Racer would be any better just because it’s PG, either. It still has car crashes and apparently people being beaten. Not something I would want a 4 year old to see.
It just seems like most people who have children anymore don’t parent their children. Anyone can keep a child fed and clothed, it takes a lot more than that to raise a decent, well adjusted child who becomes a decent member of society when they reach adulthood. That takes effort that most parents aren’t willing to put in anymore, it seems. That the mother mentioned in the post seems to have decided that she can pull the race card whenever she wants and that she doesn’t have to teach her child how to behave properly in public just goes to show that. It’s far “easier” to let your child do as they please than to teach them what is right and wrong.
It’s why I just make it a point to avoid places like theaters anymore. Too many people who can’t parent their children and I’m trapped in a room with them for two hours just to watch something I can see in the privacy of my home when it comes out on DVD. Not my idea of fun, frankly.
9 Eric // May 13, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Who in their right mind would burn $9 on “Iron Man?”
10 Ben K. // May 13, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Eric: Where can I go see a movie in NYC for $9 these days???
11 Gary // May 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Eric – Iron Man was terrific. And it cost me $11.
As for the rant, I can’t stand noisy people at the theater. Get an usher and ask the theater to address it.
S, if this happened at “every” movie theater I would never go to the movies. Fortunately it does not, but all of us suffer when people quietly ignore anti-social behavior by the rude and selfish.
12 Kathy // May 14, 2008 at 2:17 pm
You guys are missing the point of her rant. The white father asked the black mother to please shush her child and the black mother pulled the race card. And made a bigger disturbance and taught her kid to be rude and that pulling the race card is an acceptable way to act like a complete asshole in public.