I took Bridget to see Kung Fu Panda yesterday. We had planned to go for a while since it was her first day of summer vacation.
I don’t mind going to see kid movies. I always look at a trip to the theater as nothing but escape so this was right up my alley. I didn’t have to think, I just had to sit back and enjoy some good laughs and outstanding animation.
Well, between the kids in the row behind us talking for an hour and a half, that is.
I have a kid so I know how hard it can be to get them to behave for an hour and a half. Luckily, Bridget is almost 8 and wants to see the movie so I don’t have to worry about her. I don’t expect every kid in the theater to sit still for the entire time.
But these people were unreal. The youngest – he was probably 3 – has apparently not been taught to whisper. I don’t mind if the kid says something about something that happened in the movie out loud, but this kid was saying Hi to his parents, arguing over who would sit in what seat and declaring (oh, about 5-10 times) that he had to pee.
All of this in full “outside voice.”
The parents shushed him almost as much as he spoke, but didn’t do much else. The other two kids talked out loud a lot too.
I long for the days when people remembered they were in a public space instead of acting like they were in their living room watching a DVD.
Despite all that, I really liked the flick. The animation for the fight scenes was pretty cool, and Jack Black didn’t go to over the top with the main character. I just wished he could have come off the screen and done some Kung Fu in the row behind me.
Hottest day of the year and the best place to go is the movies or library. Good call!
I’m by no means the perfect parent but when I’m out and about with Benjamin and he starts using his “outside voice” at a place we need to be quiet (bank, library), I’ll take him aside and explain that he needs to use his “inside voice”. To his credit, he understands and rarely does he go back to being loud.
IMO at 2 and a half, he’s still a bit young to go to the movies but in the rare times now when Weena and I go, it seems like we get there and it is Idiot Day. Why can’t adults follow the instructions to turn off or mute their cell phones? Love the person who lets their cell phone ring 4 or 5 times with what they think is a catchy, cool ringtone before answering their call during the movie. Thanks bozo! I really want to go Costanza on them but with my luck I’ll get tossed out for doing so.