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.
