Bringing your baby to the movies is a GREAT idea!

[Qui-Gonzalez]

This rant brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face. I don't have kids. I don't want to hear someone else's little bundles of joy in a movie theater. Now, if I go to a Pixar flick, I expect kids. I suck it up. Hell, even the comic movies did not have baby style crumb grabbers.

Awww...you can't find a baby sitter? Guess what...that means you stay the hell home.

 

[Jedifyfe]

Awww...you can't find a baby sitter? Guess what...that means you stay the hell home.

Exactly!!!!

 

[cayman shen]

Leave 'em in the car. Crack a window. If you go to a late, show, they'll prolly sleep the whole time anyway.



Just kidding.

 

[hankey01]

This is why we need drive ins!! I'm a single dad half the time so taking 2 young boys to a movie by myself is very tough..and I'm always struggling to just keep them seated and quiet. Still..I can't leave the younger one at home to take the older one. Drive in would be perfect!!

 

[Commander Max]

Crying babies, sugared up toddlers, or teenagers(who have better things to do than watch the film, they paid to see. Oh wait that goes for some adults as well).

I find all of them annoying, they are part of the reason I haven't been to a theater since Wall-E came out. Funny thing that audience was quiet.
But when seeing PTOC(the first one) there was a pair of sugared up toddlers that kept running up and down the theater. The whole time, I was sitting right where I could enjoy the toddlers the whole time. You have no idea how badly I wanted to stretch my legs, at just the right moment.

When I was a kid that movie would have scared the pants off of me.
I couldn't help but think of what kind of inconsiderate selfish parent, would take their kids to that film. That's only a rhetorical question, I could only imagine what effect that kind of irresponsible parenting to going to have on future generations.

 

[Auryn]

To answer your question

Am I overreacting for thinking my friend was being a bit inconsiderate of others (and the baby's needs) by doing this? I'm so gad I wasn't invited out for that.

No you did not over react.
If I had been invited and they show up with a baby, I would have excused myself from the outing.
Movies are too expensive now a days.

I guess its situations like this that make me glad I live in a county where more than half of the population are geriatrics (probably not but it feels that way).

I agree with everything written here.
Our biggest problem- and it happens rarely because we try to attend the super early matinee showings of movies because 1- its $5 cheaper and 2- its usually empty

is teenagers.
But being as I am not one to suffer fools I am usually the one that has to get up and whisper threats to the idiots making too much noise. I will give them 2 "shush" threats and then I get up.
I've never had a situation that requires more than 1 warning and more than once I have been thanked by other theater patrons when the movie got out.

Sadly enough, the time where I had the biggest disappointing experience was when I went to see "passion of the ******".
I kid you not I was in the process of crying during the movie and the ditz behind me kept asking the most ridiculous questions.
After the 3rd question I got her to shut it as I couldn't take it anymore.

 

[firesprite]

That is precisely the reason that I only go to the local 21+ movie theater these days.

And to CB2001: I got that beat. When the movie Mimic came out, I was working at a theater down in AZ. I kid you not, this stupid twit brought her little girl (probably 3-4 years old) into the theater. Inevitably, the kid freaked out to the point where she had to take the child out of the theater and the whole time, she's acting like it's the KID'S fault! I really do believe at times that some people are too fraking stupid to be allowed to breed. :darnkids

 

[Solo4114]

I don't think we have a 21+ theater around here, or if we do, I'm unaware of it. I just avoid most theaters. I think I go to the movies maybe once or twice a year anymore. I don't even bother seeing the big blockbusters when they come out now. The experience just isn't worth it.

 

[GotWookiee]

Most off my movie going experiences have been pretty good lately. Stardust was the last flick I saw where there was a crying baby, and they left after a few minutes.

I saw a movie about six months ago where a couple talked a bit, but that was it.

I mainly see movies at a more upscale theater and I try to see them on "school nights." For a geek movie I will see it opening night with an audience thats into the film.

I consider it common courtesy to not disrupt other people during a movie. The sole exception are doctors who are on call. In my view they are saving lives and have earned the right to go to the movies, even if it might disrupt the movie for a few minutes.

 

[Skaught]

Looks like I'm going to win some friends here. We took our baby to the movies. And I'm hyper sensitive when it comes to bothering other people. But she didn't make a sound. When she would start to wake up we could catch her before she cried. She was breast fed so it was a quick plug, nom nom nom, and then back to sleep. We never went to a crowded movie, though. Mainly a Saturday/Sunday afternoon movie. Her first film was Monsters, Inc. My son's first movie was Hell Boy. Both appropriately titled. Maybe that's what's wrong with them now?

Scott

 

[Abelugo]

KIDS KICKING ON YOUR SEAT BACK!!!! or PEOPLE PUTTING THEIR FEET ON THE SEAT IN FRONT OF THEM, REALLY ARE YOU AT HOME!!
just joining the rant.

get a babysitter and no don't have to pay sometimes, you work things out with close neighbor or someone to trade movie nights if you baby sit their kids in return.

 

[rodneyfaile]

I say just dont have kids.

 

[Angelus Lupus]

To all the parents who are actually considerate of other movie-goers: Thank you! Jedifyfe has the right idea about actually talking to your kids rather than yelling and making things worse.

But on to related rants and my pet peeves: Teenagers who chat throughout the film, people who think they're funny making rude comments about the film* (FYI if I want a commentary I'll buy the DVD) and #1... That person who just HAS to keep checking their phone, just in the corner of my vision with the screen so bright I can't help but be distracted.




* This goes double for the Panto (do I need to explain panto to the non-UK folks?) I was at where the kids behind me felt the need to make VERY un-PC comments every time the dwarf actor was on stage.

 

[Wes R]

Theaters should ban small kids from all movies that aren't rated G or have a separate theater for them like restaurants should have child free sections. The problem is theaters are so desperate for money they just stopped caring if the paying customers enjoy themselves.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

So...there ARE reasonable people left in this world?!?!?!

I stopped frequenting the theatre about the time a group of gang bangers who had been shushing each other drew down over it. Cops came and cleared the building etc.

They offered my fiance & I (and everyone else of course) a set of free tickets to the movie of our choice on the way out. We passed, and waited for Blockbuster to get it.

It was Schindler's List I believe. :/

Extreme example, no doubt, but it was no more disruptive to the film I paid to watch than crying babies and punk teenagers with cell phones.

Since then I've only gone a handful of times. Highlander 4, The SW SE & Prequels, LOTR, and TRON Legacy. I don't count trips to the Drive-In, of course, those are cheap tickets with guaranteed noise, bad picture, and bad sound. :lol

I'd rather watch anything less than a "Grand Event" at home, where I control the conditions, and the only noisy kids are my own...and they know better.

 

[Steamboat Spidey]

I think the most uncomfortable I've ever been was seeing a family with two kids see Watchmen several seats down from me. Do some parents still read ratings?

I've got a better one. When I saw Vampires Suck, a quarter through the movie, a woman had to take her 7 year old son out of the theater. I don't think i need to explain any further.

 

[darthgordon]

Oh for crying out loud! You just leave the kid at home in the crib next to the baby monitor and take the baby monitor with you and hook it up to an earjack. As long as you give it a bottle and turn the mobile on, it'll be fine for three hours. This is why they put baby measurements on the NyQuil cup! Babies don't know if you're there or not anyway. They're stupid... that's why they don't walk and talk... they'll be clueless... and even if they aren't, it's not like they'll be able to walk to the social service people and tell them what happened.

 

[terryr]

It's a well known fact that people suck.

 

[mmarlon brando]

Oh for crying out loud! You just leave the kid at home in the crib next to the baby monitor and take the baby monitor with you and hook it up to an earjack. As long as you give it a bottle and turn the mobile on, it'll be fine for three hours. This is why they put baby measurements on the NyQuil cup! Babies don't know if you're there or not anyway. They're stupid... that's why they don't walk and talk... they'll be clueless... and even if they aren't, it's not like they'll be able to walk to the social service people and tell them what happened.

Someone should give you a medal.

 

[TravisO]

This is why I have a home theater.... Ill wait to see it in BluRay & pause the movie when I want. My family & I don't have to listen to that fan-boy in the back of the theater who cant help but talk out loud about how the director didn't do this or that right. I hate to say it but any G movie all bets are off when it comes to watching it kids free. Not going to happen. Wait.. Im not done, lets rant about the "tweens" who throw candy at the screen because they don't like the previews! Or the old guy who snores because he can't stay awake for anything! lets get a good rant going..... Or you could just build a home theater...