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Author Topic: Infants in the theater? Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-30-2010 11:04 PM                     I cannot stand infants in movie theaters. There's really no legitimate excuse to take a baby to a movie. When I see a couple bring a baby into the theater (often in a car seat/baby carrier) I figure they were either too cheap to hire a baby sitter or were unwilling or unable to get any relatives to watch the kid. So they choose to torture an audience of strangers with angry baby noises instead. I might be able to tolerate this sort of crap if I'm silly enough to watch a G-rated kids movie during the day. But I really feel I am rightly justified to be very pissed off when the couple brings their infant to an R-rated movie being shown at night. Such parents are utter assholes. If I ran an independently operated theater I wouldn't allow infants into the movie theater during evening/full price shows.  |  IP: Logged Gracia L. Babbidge Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 709 From: Bowdoin, Maine Registered: Aug 2000 posted 01-31-2010 01:31 AM                        In general the regular customers of the single-screen cinema where I work realize that the first show on Monday is the show most likely to have little ones in the audience. Quite a while back, the owner of the cinema had established a trend of first matinee on Mondays, parents with infants in tow were quite welcome. An idea that was well received, and we seldom see parents with babies at other shows throughout the week.  |  IP: Logged Kris Verhanneman Expert Film Handler Posts: 182 From: Belgium Registered: Dec 2009 posted 01-31-2010 03:28 AM                     I always have this trouble when I see kids in a late night screening. Normaly I turn the sound up a bit at the 2 last screenings. And then when you have small kids in the theater what to do? Not turning up the sound means the other costumers loose the movie experiance. Turning it up means killing the kids ears.  |  IP: Logged Elise Brandt Expert Film Handler Posts: 160 From: Kuusankoski, FIN/ Kouvola, Finland Registered: Dec 2009 posted 01-31-2010 04:59 AM                     Oh. My. Goodness. I am seriously happy to be Finnish right about now. We take moviegoing seriously and at least most of the time people try to keep in mind there are others in the audience as well. The thing that really appals me though are the parents mentioned in this thread. I've grown up in a country where it's illegal to harm a child in any way (spanking etc. included, call it discipline or not) and putting a small child through a two hour movie in a dark room, with lots of strangers and deafening noise, fast-moving picture and blinking lights would be considered some form of abuse. We are a little uptight about these things but I say it's better to be overprotective in this matter... they're children, after all. They don't know how to defend themselves and if their parents are incapable of good judgement the kid is the one to pay. Sorry for the rant, I just seriously want to strangle the parents leaving the child outside in a carseat for the sake of seeing a movie. The stupidness of human race never fails to amaze! Hehe, no kids don't generally get an ID here (although if leaving the country they do need their own passport) but we are instructed to trust what they tell us. Meaning if the kid looks old enough, the parent says she is, and the kid herself says so, that's enough. But usually although the parent claims the kid is let's say 11, the kid in question will turn to the parent confused and say "why are you lying? I'm only ten" then it's a no-go. Basically; liers we can do nothing about if they're good, but if we know the kid is too young, we can't let them in. Theaters are checked regularly for this, so they claim...  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-31-2010 09:45 AM                        quote: Sorry for the rant, I just seriously want to strangle the parents leaving the child outside in a carseat for the sake of seeing a movie. The stupidness of human race never fails to amaze! Here in the South, it is not officially summer until the first news report of some murderous imbecile who INTENTIONALLY, left her kid (it always seems to be the mom) in the car, with the windows rolled up, while she (choose one or more: got her hair done, went shopping, saw a movie, etc) and the kid cooked to death as the outside temp approached 100 F and the inside of the car was about 180F. People who do that really, really need brain surgery.  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 01-31-2010 07:59 PM                     If someone doesn't look the right age for a 15 or 18 they need ID or they don't come in, I'm not fussy as long as it has their birthday on it and they can show me their photo travel pass (everyone under 18 has one in London)as well, no-one uses fake ID in the UK to get in the Cinema because they always think they can blag it. Alcohol has to be a passport or drivers license though. Mike you're so right about Disney movies and toddlers. I went to a preview of Princess and the Frog last week (it opens wide Friday here) and the place was full of them making noise, they don't know what is going on at all. I don't mind too much because it was advertised as part of the BFI kids season, but the parents should take them out or the ushers who are in there the entire time should do something.  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-01-2010 03:57 PM                     quote: Bobby Henderson Such parents are utter assholes. Obviously you don't or can't have kids  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-01-2010 04:22 PM                        Richard, since when does being a parent justify a lack of respect of others. Bringing an infant to an adult movie generally shows you don't care about whether the infant fusses and bothers those around you. Even if you're courteous enough to take the infant out of the auditorium, it still creates a distraction when you first try to sooth the baby and then get up when it won't be quite.  |  IP: Logged Elise Brandt Expert Film Handler Posts: 160 From: Kuusankoski, FIN/ Kouvola, Finland Registered: Dec 2009 posted 02-02-2010 12:45 AM                     Richard; I don't know if Mr. Henderson has kids or not but I do and I totally agree with him on this one. Bringing an infant to an adult movie at night is utter assholedness in my book. Then again I don't presume the rest of the mankind lives by my book so to each their own. Seriously. What good reason could there be to bring a small child to an adult movie? This I just don't get. Now a kids' movie I do get, that can be fun for the whole family and very few even assume that a kids' show will be quiet or peaceful, a little fussing about is only expected. But an adult movie?  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-02-2010 02:19 AM                        There's no good reason to bring a small child (under 2) to ANY MOVIE, I don't care if it's a Disney G-rated pixie-dust-coated fairy fest. They will NOT pay attention to anything for 90-minutes plus, and they will forget everything they saw within 30 seconds of going out the theatre door.  |  IP: Logged John Joseph Fink Film Handler Posts: 60 From: West Hartford, CT Registered: Feb 2006 posted 02-02-2010 07:40 AM                        This is true, Mike - which is why the Sunshine Theater in New York City once had a moms and me morning showing of the NC-17 rated The Dreamers. In my experience in the Northern NJ area, kids are brought to shows at all hours of the day (if you think your safe going to see a kids movie at 10:45PM on a Friday night - think again in certain theaters). Another issue is parents that are too cheap to hire a baby sitter as we have no theaters with supervised kids play areas like Harkins and Muvico offer.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-02-2010 08:39 AM                        quote: Mike Blakesley they will forget everything they saw within 30 seconds of going out the theatre door. Disney has been counting on it for decades;> As crying rooms were if not common, at least not uncommon, in theatres, it is pretty obvious infants at theatres has been a concern since the beginning. Since we can't stop reproduction, let's bring back the crying room.  |  IP: Logged Tom Wyse Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Ozark, AL Registered: Jan 2010 posted 02-12-2010 08:41 PM                     There is a cinema chain in the Chicago area that has a no children under 6 after 6 PM for R-rated movies. I don't feel they are discriminating in any way because they are NOT barred from the early showings. This policy actually encourages other adults to attend adult oriented films without the distractions of either crying babies or toddlers running the aisles.  |  IP: Logged Manny Montes Master Film Handler Posts: 270 From: United States Registered: Feb 2010 posted 02-13-2010 11:30 AM                     I love the Alamo Drafthouse, it is honestly how most theaters should be run (or at least some of them) quote: "The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an 18 and up establishment. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. No children under 6 years of age are allowed except for Baby Day or “All Ages, with parent” designated shows. " They don't even allow people who are under 18 to come with a 21+ sibling (which our policy is that as long as the person is 21+ they can buy multiple R rated tickets, even if they are just a sibling, but they do have to stay and watch the entire movie, as soon as the 21+ leaves, the kids get kicked out) See the problem is not only infants, it is teens, while well behaved teens are more than welcome (not a problem anymore since i'm at an arthouse now), I've had all of my 4 mens bathroom mirrors destroyed by being etched with a key, and 2 whole rows of seats (15+ each) slashed with a knife due to one group of teenagers. Plus they usually loiter a lot and get into other various trouble. One time I found a group of them on the roof (they broke the combo lock on the ladder hatch).  |  IP: Logged Bruce Hansen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 847 From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-13-2010 01:41 PM                     As W.C. Fields once said "I love little children, medium rare". Too many people today have no sense of personal responsibility. They don't think of anyone but themselves.  |  IP: Logged

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