I didn’t realize until we got in the car to go to the theater last weekend that Maria, Bridget and I had never attended a movie together.

Every other time Bridget wanted to see a flick, I would take her while Maria worked. Nothing had come to town which compelled all of us to head to the movies.

Then “High School Musical 3” came out.

The first two installments of the series have played many times in our house so we had lots of reasons to be excited. We avoided the opening weekend crowds so we could really enjoy the fun.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take something very important into account when we took our seats and almost ruined the entire experience.

I have grown to enjoy the HSM series for providing nice, clean entertainment for kids, but I also recognize the glut of unintentional comedy included in the movies. These moments do their best to keep adults entertained.

I love this kind of stuff, especially when I go to the movies with Maria. I find few things more enjoyable than sitting in a dark theater, leaning over to my wife and whispering sarcastic comments related to the film we are watching.

This cannot be accomplished when I make the mistake of letting Bridget sit between Maria and I in the theater. That was my fatal error.

I really enjoyed the movie. The singing and dancing – something Maria thinks more movies need – kept me entertained. The actors stayed true to their roles. You could tell that the kids in the theater really enjoyed everything,

But I was dying inside. I had to sit there for more than 90 minutes without whispering one bad joke. I didn’t even have a stranger next to me so I could annoy them.

We did have a couple of moments where we both turned to look at the other because the snide comment was just too easy. This kept me from going completely insane.

But I couldn’t lean over with any one of the dozen goofy things I wanted to say about Ryan’s outfits. I couldn’t nudge her with my elbow during a particularly cheesy moment. I had to sit there and just enjoy the film.

That’s no way to enjoy a movie, I think. Maria and I have developed such a great understanding of how to properly make fun of the movie while still enjoying the show.

This philosophy is not for everyone. A friend of mine went to see HSM3 the day it opened with someone she knows. My friend is a rabid fan of the series and takes it very seriously. Unfortunately, her companion appreciated my kind of movie-going experience, which drove my friend crazy.

Maybe the theater needs to develop a new seating system. They could make extra money by selling a special section for people who want to make sarcastic comments. They could also make parents happy by putting all the kids in one area and letting us sit in the back and enjoy the show our own way.

Or maybe I could grow up and just watch the movie without saying a word. Nah, that’s no fun. Especially when there is a dancing basketball team on the screen.