Walking out of a movie

I heard a story on NPR about a new movie called, "Tree of Life" and how people were walking out of it. The reason they were walking out of it, as far as I can tell, is they just don't want to waste time watching the rest of it. Some viewers love it, others hate it. Very few who see it are in-between these two extremes. So many people have walked in and right back out of this film that theaters are putting up signs that they won't refund the price of the ticket if you leave.

There is nothing disturbing about the film, so I was a little curious about why people would leave the theater. Didn't they at least read about the movie before shelling out $10 to see it? Did they see it just because it has Brad Pitt in it? And if that was the reason, they shouldn't walk out if Brad is in it until the end...

There is a movie in South Australia called Snowtown about a group of serial killers. Barrels of acid containing a dead body were found in Snowtown, and it became quite a big story. The movie is evidently rather gruesome and honest in portraying the torture and murder of the victims. Many people have walked out of this film. My question to them is: Did you not know this is a movie about serial killers? Did you not know that you would see some torture and killing, blood and cries of agony from the screen? One woman fainted. I'm going to give her a pass because at least she fainted in the theater.

If you are going to be offended by the content or subject matter of a movie, don't go to see it. Then when we aren't seeing movies about violence, murder and the like, the film industry will stop making them.

That brings me to the only movie I have ever walked out on: Jagged Edge. It was 1985 and I was in my first year of college. The opening scene of the movie is a woman being attacked in her bedroom, killed with a hunting knife (hence the name of the film), tied up to the bed posts and the word "Bitch" written on the wall above her in her own blood.

It was just more than I could take. I started sobbing right there in the theater. I went to the bathroom to try to collect myself and could never go back in. My date, can't remember who it was now, came out to check on me and, after I encouraged him to do so, left me in the lobby while he returned to the theater and finished the movie. Idiot. I didn't really think that he would actually go back in and leave me in there.

Anyway, back to the story on NPR. There was a man interviewed who had an experience with his girlfriend leaving a movie they went to see. It was Forrest Gump, one of his favorite movies. He wanted to share this wonderful film with, as he put it, the love of his life. She walked out on the film, mumbling something like, "All he ever does is run." Can you imagine? He made it clear to her that this was a favorite of his, and she walked out because she was bored! I told Jim, "What a selfish bitch!"

And THAT is where I was going with this piece, the fact that I was shocked that this woman would walk out of a movie like this. Because she is a selfish bitch.