| | A Thought
About Respect
Since I regularly find myself defending movies with poor ratings and lackluster box-office performance, I find it a welcome change of pace to be here today in support of a movie which is actually doing okay. I speak of "Be Kind Rewind." Granted, its numbers are modest, but so was the production budget. So rather than soapboxing in attempt to convince you to see it, I'm just going to tell you something that impressed me about it.
Of course, being me, I have to provide the inevitable back story:
Since as far back as high school, my "people" and I have always had the habit of staying in a theater until after the credits have rolled, particularly if we liked the movie. We never discussed why we did it. It was just sort of a mutually-understood gesture of support. An intangible thing, incapable of affecting the film's bottom line, yet offered as a salute nonetheless.
Frequently, we were the only people to do so. The majority of midwesterners habitually exit the theater as soon as the credits begin (and why shouldn't they?) Furthermore, no matter which theater in the region you're attending, there is always the man in overalls with the uncanny knack of feeling the end of the film approaching who is already at the exit when the first name appears on screen. I like to imagine him sitting there in the dark when his knuckles begin to ache, warning him of the impending boredom. "I 'spect we oughtta head for the truck."
Anyway, I have come to understand that Los Angeles is full of people who, like me, make it a habit to sit through the credits. Close to half the attendees, in some cases, and sometimes more. Occasionally you'll hear a group somewhere behind you cheer when one of their names scrolls by, but mostly it seems that people just do it for the same unspoken reasons I always did.
Well, to finally make my point, when the credits rolled on "Be Kind Rewind," nobody moved. It was a Saturday night showing with a decent turn-out, and it was at least a full minute before a single bottom left a seat. Even then, only a few quietly (and seemingly respectfully) departed.
I don't know exactly what, but that says something.
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| | Posted 3/10/2008 4:58 PM - 217 Views - 16 eProps - 9 comments
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