Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Baby Friendly Movies

So, on Monday I went to a matinee in Arlington to see a French movie called A Christmas Tale. When I walked up to the ticket booth to purchase my ticket, the young man behind the glass informed me that the movie I had chosen to see was today’s Baby Friendly Movie. He warned that there may be babies in attendance, and that they may be noisy. He said I could exchange the ticket for that of another movie or I could request my money back.

Baby friendly movie. Hmmm, why would anybody bring a baby to see a French drama about a dysfunctional family coming together at Christmas? Maybe no babies would show up today. When I walked into the lobby to buy my diet Pepsi, I saw a man was holding a baby while his wife bought popcorn. I had to assume that they were there to take advantage of Happy Baby Monday or Bring Yer Kid Matinee, or however they were marketing it.

I waited to buy my Twizzlers and soda and when I walked into the little theater, the father was holding the baby, trying to calm him down, so upset was he that he was brought to a movie with sub-titles. I groaned inwardly and tried to imagine walking out for the baby-free Outback of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. Or the no-kid-zone of Wall-E; the one second-run movie playing that probably should have been baby friendly.

But after the flick started I found the burbles and coos and occasional crying not so bad. Luckily there were subtitles and I didn’t miss any of the dialogue for the baby noise. Only twice did the little whippersnapper really howl, and then the mother or father walked him around in the exit aisle to calm him down. Maybe they even took him out, I’m not sure. To be honest, having a baby sitting a few rows behind added to the familial ambiance.

Anyway, the next time you hit the big screen multiplex in search of some fun time movie-going experience, be aware: it might just be Introduce Baby to Stadium Seating Sunday.

6 comments:

Liz Smith said...

Hahahaha! Fun read! You are such a trooper. You never know where babies will show up!

Dell Smith said...

Babies, Babies, Ted, and Alice.

Anonymous said...

Witty, funny, delightful report.

How did you like the film?

Cynthia Sherrick said...

Baby friendly movies! Yikes. I guess I've been out of the "going to the movies loop" far too long. Thanks for this humerous update. :)

Dell Smith said...

Yeah, we're headed to see Wall-E at the same theater this afternoon. I'll let you know if that's today's baby friendly flick.

Dell Smith said...

Hi Liz's Mom: I liked the movie. Um, I guess that's not much of an answer. I sort of agree with the review that I linked to. But I feel like I need to see the film again to get the full emotional depth of it. I didn't quite get the ending. It didn't gell for me. But I thought it was well-done, very realistic and entertaining.