Pickin' Your Seat

Do you have a favorite spot to watch a movie? The best seat is the comfy one in front of the television set, but if you don’t have a large screen television or a movie theatre set-up in your home, that may not be the best choice. But I’m really talking about when going to see a first-run film – where do you like to sit?

I was thinking about this last night, as I was invited by my movie-theatre working son to attend an employee/family midnight showing of Pixar’s newest release, Brave.  Where did I sit? Well, I hadn’t been in that particular screening room of that theatre for a very long time (it had been 4 years since I had attended a midnight show), yet I chose my favorite spot - the back row corner aisle seat.  All the youngsters found themselves clustered together. One young lady, who knew me from her childhood & now worked at the theatre, turned around and kindly and motioned to me to join them.  I thought that was very sweet, and although it was a nice gesture, I told her that I really liked my “back seat.” And, I do wherever I attend the movies.  When I was young, I would sit just about anywhere, but after that “Uh, oh, we’re late!” night to see Silverado back in 1985, and we found ourselves in the front row of theatre, the leaning and craning of our necks to look up at the oversized cowboys, horses and gun-play was all she wrote!  Ever since then, I don’t think I’ve ever sat too close to the front.  There were times when my boys wanted me to traipse down front with them, but I loved it when they got old enough to sit alone and I could sit where? The back row.

I’ve learned the lesson that if you sit ‘down stream,’ you’re liable to have the spilled soda (and there will be one) come trickling down under your seat, find your purse and ruin the bottom of it, not to mention ooze up into the fabric of the sides, as well.  I’ve also learned that more young people who do talk more during a movie, tend to sit mid to front, so I find myself with the ‘senior citizen set’ in the back (I know, I’m not that far from it myself)!  We tend to be far-sighted, and it is easier to see the ‘big picture.’  But there is the risk of having a fellow-attendee be hard of hearing and talk too loudly with their neighbors.  So, for the most part, that’s the best spot to be – for me.  Hey!  I can get out without standing up in front of someone, and get back in without anyone noticing or being annoyed that I had to do the same in reverse! 

I do find that I need to get there early enough to be able to select that all-important coveted seat.  If someone else is already in it, I either have to go across to the other row and sit down with a relaxing exhale or else my little pea-brain has to do some fast masterminding for the second-rate seats.  Who would have thought that just going to a movie would be so much work? Too bad Mom isn’t around for me to joke that I finally have ‘picking me seat’ down to a science! But once it’s done, it can make or break that movie-going experience!

Make sure to leave me a comment if you have a favorite seat!