Movie Experience

The wife and I went to a movie the other day. The early cheaper show. We still call them matinees. Guess that dates us. We like the cheaper prices, easier to find parking spots and smaller crowds in the theater. Ah, retirement.
We saw Knight and Day, the new Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz movie. It was the best choice among all the animated, 3D and just plain stupid offerings. I’m not a big Tom Cruise fan anymore. Not that I ever thought he was an actor worthy of an Oscar. Well, maybe for Rain Man. I stopped going to his movies, giving him my money a while back because he let out his inner jerk.
He’s not alone among celebrities that I avoid supporting. Russell Crowe heads the list. It took me years before I could watch him in Gladiator. Didn’t even order it on Netflix but watched it on regular, or rather satellite TV. I reluctantly give him credit for a fine performance. Denzel Washington is another one as is Queen Latiffa. Both because they purportedly said early in their careers that they not only don’t like white people but don’t want their money. OK, not a problem.
We hold our celebrities in high esteem. Simply because they are celebrities. As if being famous automatically bestows wisdom and integrity. Kinda like Paris Hilton. Or Lindsay Lohan. Or that up and coming train wreck Miley Cyrus. All are products and poor reflections of their parents. But we love to hear all about their lives. Every lurid detail. I think it was better when the studios kept all that stuff hush-hush.
Tom Cruise fell out of grace for me with that ill advised rant about post partum women in general and Brooke Shields in particular. He went right off the big jerk scale. Much to her credit Ms Shields took the high moral road and refused to get caught up in it. But most of the frustrated housewives that lust after Tom Cruise seemingly stood by their idol. Shame on 'em.
So we went to the movie and a funny thing happened. Actually, two. First, I actually liked the movie. Turns out, it’s exactly my kind of movie. Despite the fact that there was no nudity or sex. It was mindless entertainment with plenty of humor, action and a little suspense. I watch movies first and foremost to be entertained. I don’t care about subplots and symbolism. Just make me laugh or cry or anything in between. Which is why I love so many foreign films.
The second funny thing that happened was an affirmation of civility. After the movie was over I picked up the somewhat empty popcorn bag and soft drink cup. It was then that I noticed that almost everyone else in the theater was doing the same. We were gathering our trash to remove it from the theater. Out of consideration to those that would follow. All this without being asked or told. I must admit that most of us were older but there were a couple of younger folks that followed suit.
Maybe it was a cosmic alignment that led us to civil behavior. Maybe we all had caring parents that taught us to pick up after ourselves. Maybe it was because none of were celebrities and had lost sight of who we are, where we came from. It was a nice reflection on all our parents.