Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I hardly ever attend drive-in movies. Not that I don’t see their appeal, of course. There’s a drive-in not too far from my house that plays a triple feature every night over the course of the warmer, summer months. Three movies in a row. Can you believe that? But that’s beside the point. Really, I just wanted to use a catchy Grease song lyric as an article title.
I’ve never been alone at a drive-in movie, but I’ve sat in the dark, quiet cinema with no one’s company but my own many a time. I like it that way. Oftentimes, I like to go to the movies after I get out of class if I have free time and there’s something I’ve been dying to see. That has a tendency of falling around or before noon, so I end up wandering into a theater with a total of three other people, most of whom look like they blindly paid for a ticket. I appreciate those people--the ones who see a movie just because it’s a movie.
Other times I fly solo because my taste in movies can so widely stray from that of those around me. Not all of my friends appreciate my love of horror or my sideways humor, but most of all, they tend to shy away from the way I’ll step out of a high brow art house film and into a blockbuster and analyze it just the same. That’s what happens when you’re a film kid.
The professor of the very first cinema studies class I ever took told me that this would happen. That the longer you studied film, the less people would want to see movies with you. I didn’t realize just how true it was until I walked out of a movie and my friend said it was a “good movie” to which I replied, “yeah, I really loved the use of Dutch angles!” and was met with a blank stare. She didn’t know what I was talking about, and she didn’t care.
One time I handed my ticket to the girl in the theater so I could get in. She looked at me plainly before asking if I was waiting for anyone else, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Why would I be giving her my ticket to enter the theater if I was still waiting for someone? I told her no, I like to see movies alone, and went on my way. It was summer then, and the theater was cool and inviting during the afternoon. It was a place I felt at home.
Now, don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to attend film festivals, be brushed up on your terminology, or consider yourself a low-key film snob to enjoy seeing a movie alone. Sometimes, it’s just refreshing. You can enjoy the movie in the way you want to enjoy it, with no influence from people around you. You can love it, you can hate it, you can appreciate the tiny details and nuances. You can see something you’d never admit you want to see. It can be your little secret. You can finally see that artsy film none of your action-loving friends are interested in. Or you can just relax. So try it. Take a day to yourself, and go it alone at the movies.
