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Thumbs down for bad movie manners

Theater etiquette seems to be as passe as silent films. Most say it's a minority that should watch a Miss Manners video.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published March 3, 2006

[Times photo: Lara Cerri]

Valorie and Robert Gordon Sr. took their kids, Valerria, 9, left, and Robbie, 10, to a movie Friday at BayWalk. They didn't like the treatment they received at the theater. ItsYourTimes.com: What do you think?

What should a moviegoer do about ringing cell phones, loud conversations and tantrum-throwing children? And what if someone with a disability is involved?

For many moviegoers, it's not only incessant chatter that drives them mad. Latecomers step on toes as they shove their way to seats, children kick chair backs and the eternally famished crunch and slurp with wild abandon. Many, though, will make concessions for the handicapped, no matter the disability.

No doubt, disruptive behavior has increased in movie theaters, says Tara Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the Tampa Theatre. She thinks she knows why.

"People are used to watching movies in their living room and then they carry that behavior to the movie theater by carrying on conversations while the movie is going on. That drives me insane," she said, noting that most guests behave at her theater.

Valorie Gordon is still upset at the way she and her family were treated when they went to Muvico Theaters at BayWalk with her two youngest children, Robbie, 10, and Valerria, 9, who use wheelchairs.

Gordon said when she and her husband, Robert, arrived for the 7:30 p.m. show, they found the seats around the handicapped area occupied. The people in them refused to move, so she asked for a manager's help, she said. Gordon said the manager suggested that her family wait for a later show.

"They didn't actually turn up in the auditorium until 10 minutes to 8," said John Spano, vice president of human resources and corporate communications for Muvico.

Asking other patrons to move at that time was unreasonable, he said.

"Whether we were late," Mrs. Gordon said, "it doesn't matter. We got two people in wheelchairs coming from the third floor" in the garage.

The St. Petersburg woman said she didn't understand why the manager failed to ask at least one person to move.

Muvico values diversity, Spano said. "We will do whatever we can do to make accommodations for our guests," he said.

Another recent case had a different resolution. The Oldsmar movie theater that kicked out Matt Brown, a disabled 19-year-old, for laughing too loudly during The Pink Panther has apologized and has offered to give the teen and his family a private screening.

Kendrick Macdowell of the National Association of Theatre Owners in Washington, D.C., said movie theaters are trying to control discourtesy.

"In this litigious society, it doesn't take too much for someone to sue you," he said.

Cell phone usage is a discourtesy that drives moviegoers "into orbit," he said. "It's not something that is probably going to happen to you every time you go to a movie. It's just something that when it happens, it's annoying. ... It's the occasional person who never learned what they were supposed to learn in kindergarten and is spectacularly rude and takes the call."

Conversations also drive people "batty," Macdowell said.

Mardi Johnson, who was on her way Thursday to see Match Point at BayWalk, agreed.

"You have to go "shhh,"' she said, adding that she also dislikes when people put their feet up on the seat and "crack open their candies when the movie is on."

Shannon Terry of Gulfport said she's not reticent about asking talkers to be quiet."I'm never rude about it," she said. "I just think some people are inconsiderate."

Macdowell said theaters are using subtle ways to get people to tone down. Some are using more ushers, posting notices about courtesy and showing trailers that ask moviegoers to be polite.

Some theaters have a more relaxed attitude. At Clearwater Cinema Cafe, knitting needles click and people sit around tables for steak and pizza and servers take orders all the way through the movie. The movie house, which seats 120 people, sells beer and wine. "That sometimes doesn't help the people who come in already tipsy," manager Rick Douchette said. The Imax Dome Theater at MOSI also has little to complain about, said Tanya Vomacka, the communications manager.

"We're a family-friendly institution. We welcome families and babies, perhaps more than other theaters. We are probably more accommodating. And, of course, during the week, we always have schoolchildren here," she said. The theater shows mostly educational and travel-based movies, but also films such as Harry Potter.

In St. Pete Beach, the Beach Theatre sells beer and wine with no problems, said manager Dave Bricker. And, he said, almost anything goes during the Saturday night showing of the cult favorite the Rocky Horror Picture Show, when throwing rice is part of the movie experience. Otherwise, said Bricker, the 250-seat theater, a venue for independent films, is pretty civilized.

Latecomers also aren't a problem. Bricker starts movies a little later than advertised to accommodate the mostly retired patrons.

He offers basic rules for courtesy: "When you're in the movie, don't talk. Make sure your cell phones are turned off. Try to use the bathroom before the movie. Don't be whispering to your hubby. ... Try not to ask the usher for a flashlight, if you're 20 minutes late."

[Last modified March 3, 2006, 02:15:34]