I recently saw my first movie alone. I have eaten lunch and gone to concerts alone, but never a movie. Until last Friday.
I found the perfect movie - Moneyball. It had been out in theaters so long that everyone I know had already seen it (and there were good odds I could have a theater all to myself). It's also somewhat artsy, making it feel like a movie that is more OK to see alone than say, Footloose. Plus, as an A's fan I couldn't wait for the DVD release and consider myself a true fan.
I found a matinee that I could go to after work (I only work a half day on Fridays to be clear, I know the experience is not as socially acceptable if you're going alone on a Friday night). Unfortunately, that Friday the 22 minute trip ended up taking 45 minutes (I'm sure some part of hell involves waiting in LA traffic that never moves). I was already 15 minutes late when I arrived, so I hurried to the ticket counter, but my efforts were stymied by two grannies I got stuck behind in line. They had had arrived nearly an hour early to go see Footloose (notice, however, that they weren't alone).
By the time I raced to Theater 6, the movie had already started - the exact opposite of what I wanted (ideally, I would arrive a minute before previews so the lights would go down soon after but not so quick that I couldn't cast a few looks and fake a phone conversation pretending I was waiting on someone...just kidding, I'm not that insecure). I MIGHT HAVE SENT A FAKE TEXT THOUGH
It was so dark that I couldn't see any of the seats in the back section. Knowing if I sat on someone that would be the end of my solo moviegoing experiences, I panicked and sat in the first seat I saw. It ended up being the first seat on the left aisle of the back row of the front section. So everyone saw me come in. And everyone saw I was alone. Here's a graphic representation of what I imagine was going on in there:
Being so close, I had trouble enjoying the movie because my neck was at a 45-degree angle the entire time. Any action that took place on the right side of the screen I basically missed.
One day I'll do something that doesn't leave me soaked, drenched in awkwardness.
Dude, my first movie alone was when I was 22 "The Stepfather". Scary show matinee what could be better. There was only one other person (guy) in the theater and half way through the movie he moved up to my row (really adds to the horror movie suspense). You definitely need to try again but get there early, buy some popcorn and do NOT miss the previews....what are you thinking.
ReplyDelete