Night at the Movies

Last night David and I saw the new movie Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. We hardly ever see a movie in the theater. Prices ridiculously higher than the $3.50 I remember from my childhood, annoying kids with no manners who should be accompanied by adults but aren't, and the miraculous invention of DVR and Video On Demand have made the movie theater experience, at least in our book, extremely underwhelming. However, in rare instances when we a) see a really great movie previewed that we just HAVE to see on the big screen (a la Dark Knight) or b) really need to get out and do something we don't do very often, it almost always comes down to a night at the movies. I think it's the nostalgia of the movies that I like so much. These days going to the movie theater isn't that spectacular (unless you go to a brand new theater with superb surround sound, the most comfortable stadium seating you've ever sat in, and butter pumps so you can customize your popcorn according to your tastes). And last night was no different; the theater was practically empty, we didn't get popcorn, and the seats were the old kind where you have to strategically place yourself a few rows behind people either to the left or right so as not to have the screen blocked by someone's big head, then slump down in your seat so you can sit still for an hour and a half without getting a cramp in your neck. So no, it wasn't the spectacular movie experience I remembered from the '90s, but I was happy all the same.

There's something about sitting in a dark, quiet theater, sharing an armrest with the boy you like, and laughing out loud when you turn to each other at the same moment because something the characters just did on screen reminds you of a moment way back when, that just feels......good. Maybe it's those millisecond moments when you can relate to the characters in the movie. Last night it was when Nick and Norah (two young singles who share a love for music and a quest to find out where their favorite band is scheduled to play in the city) start making up dances in the middle of a club. To any of the other viewers last night, it was probably just a funny scene in the movie. To me, it was an "awww" moment when David and I glanced at each other and just started laughing because we were both thinking the same thing: "we do that too!"

The movie was just okay in my opinion. Good music and some funny parts here and there. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 30; it speaks more to the teenage and college crowd than the twenty-somethings. But what I really enjoyed, despite the lack of popcorn and the uncomfortable seats, was that one-of-a-kind experience that only happens at the movies: when you can sit in a dark public place surrounded by strangers and still feel like you're in your own little world. When it's just you and the person you're with, laughing together in secret at what would appear to be nothing at all.

Categories: life or something like it, matters of the mind