People everywhere seem to unanimously blame going to the movies as the reason their first date failed, but is that really fair? They give one major reason that makes sense: you don't talk to each other throughout the full thing so you don't really get to know the other person. And yeah, to an extent that's true, but only during the movie.

See, going to the movies for a first date is an art. You can't just say "Bye," after the movie is over and expect it to be a successful date. There is, in fact, nothing to build on if you end the date immediately after the movie. You have to go get dinner or ice cream or even just play Galaga in the arcade after it's over.

So why go to the movie in the first place? There are two main reasons:

First, it's a perfect ice breaker. If you aren't comfortable sitting next to that person without saying anything for an hour and a half to two hours, what makes you think you'll be comfortable saying anything to them otherwise?

The movie gives you a chance to gather yourself after their beauty makes you lose all brain function. You might actually be able to string together enough words to formulate a sentence.

Second, the movie is a super easy and approachable topic of conversation. Nothing is more awkward on a first date than not knowing what to say and the subsequent silence that follows. Why not talk about what you did or didn't like about the movie, draw a reference or two to another topic of conversation, and see where the conversation goes from there.

This is doubly-effective if it's a classic movie that is being re-screened because then you can talk about the first time you saw it or why you never saw it before then.

The movie date is effective when used properly. It's only boring if you make it boring, and if you are truly interested in the person you're taking on the date, it won't be.