h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No. I don't think it's ok.

And if a film is mucked up by an infant (or an infantile adult) then the cinema owners should NOT refund. The person responsible (the infantile adult or the parent of the infant), should refund everybody's ticket money.

It's inconsiderate and I'm a grumpy middle aged bloke. It's taken me years to achieve this status.

PP.

I am with you PP. I think it is time legislation was introduced to allow disgruntled cinema patrons to slap the heads of transgressors with impunity. Or better still, with baseball bats. but will the government listen? Will they ****.

It's always tricky to legalize violence. Re-education of the culprits ought to be the goal, I think.

Dunno about babies but I saw Terminator Salvation (fourth one) sat near to a bloke who'd brought his two daughters aged about 7-9. They were clearly bored stupid by the whole thing and whilst being quiet they did spend a great deal of time clambering about, climbing the chairs, doing headstands and generally fidgeting through the whole film.
It says a lot that I remember this rather more than I remember the film. Utterly unfair on them and I remain rather intrigued as to how they were allowed in at all.

Loving that cartoon in post 20

I bore witness to the most extreme version of this.

It was opening Friday night for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

If you haven't seen this film, know that it is literally the raunchiest, most foul mouthed and offensive film to ever receive an R rating. No seriously, every time Trey Parker and Matt Stone submitted it to the MPAA (ratings board) and they returned it, Trey and Matt sent it back with WORSE scenes and language until the MPAA gave up.

Anyone who has seen a South Park cartoon should know that it's not meant for small children and if the TV cartoon isn't they should REALLY expect the theatrical version to be worse.


Anyway, there I was with friends and just before the film starts, a couple walks in with FIVE small children and TWO newborns and they sit on the FRONT ROW! The oldest child might have been 8 years old. They were all amped up on Jujubes, Raisinettes and Cola. They were jumping over each other and generally making a racket for the first half of the film until they just ran out of steam.

A bit over an hour into the film though, one of the babies started crying... and crying... and screaming... and the parents just sat there for a good 5 minutes. Then finally, the mother stands up with the screamer in her arms and walks toward the vomitorium*.

And the crowd gives her a round of applause.

And then suddenly the grateful applause is replaced by jeers because she STOPPED, right there in the vomitorium and resumed watching the show! What was the point of even getting up if you weren't removing the screaming baby from the theatre?

Just about the time the first baby calms down and she walks back to her seat, the other baby chimes in and she just walks back to where she stood before with crying baby echoing through the theatre!

The second baby finally calms down and she returns to her seat.


Now, after all this, you'd think the couple were Really Into South Park.


NOPE!, When the big battle scene in the last act happens Chef is informed that he will be leading what is surely a suicide mission and hears the rather racist "Operation" name for the mission. This apparently offends the parents and they stand up and walk out.

At this point there was a standing ovation and cheers as they left the theatre.








*(look it up, it's not what you thought it was.)

It is for this precise reason that some cinemas now offer mother and baby screenings of current blockbusters, they leave some more lights on than normal and turn the sound down a little but . I haven't yet taken R to one as to be honest there hasn't been much on at the cinema that I've been desperate to see.

"NOPE!, When the big battle scene in the last act happens Chef is informed that he will be leading what is surely a suicide mission and hears the rather racist "Operation" name for the mission. This apparently offends the parents and they stand up and walk out."

What sort of person will sit through the hilarious ditty "Shut your effing face, uncle effer." but take umbrage at Operation Human Shield?

Um... It wasn't only called Operation Human Shield...

The people who created "South Park" also created "Team America," which I saw. That was pretty terrible. Where are the crying babies when you need something to drown out the movie?

Yeah, can't say I enjoyed that one.

It gave new meaning to the expression "puppet government."

Ah, aka get behind the. I remember now.

Yeah... but like you noticed, they happily sat through Uncle F with 5 small kids there. But an arcane racial epithet was too much for their adult ears.

(The above borked smiley must be the combined emotions of and )

Sorry Baron Grim but you were the victim of one of the slyest right wing puritan organisations in the world, 'Parents Against Dirty Mouthed Films'.

These people are tasked by their controllers to go to films that are on the 'hate list' and try to destroy any fun the audience might be hoping for.

I mentioned baseball bats in a previous post. I know there are babies involved but it is freedom we are fighting for.

A baby as wepon of choice to batter members Parents Against Dirty Mouthed Films.

Sounds about right.

I rarely go to movies when there are large audiences in the theaters, so I miss out on all the fun.

I actually rarely go to any theatre any longer.

That way I don't go to jail for murderizing some punk kid for kicking my seat back while talking on his cell phone and laser pointering the screen.

I love my home theatre.

I hate going to concerts and the theatre because I can't enjoy it at all if a phone rings or someone coughs or a baby or small child starts screaming, misbehaving or just talking. I spend the rest of the time on the edge of my seat listening out for the next scream/ring/cough/sneeze, and can't concentrate on what's going on on stage.

I still go, though.

As for the cinema we usually go on a Sunday night and there are never many people there. The biggest problem is having to sit three seats away from my husband because of the people in front of me blocking the view. At least there is a choice of seats.

As to the orignal question - I don't understand why parents take their children to anything at all. Can't they just wait till the kids are old enough? Other people have paid for babysitters/got dressed up/made arrangements and looked forward to a nice, adult evening out without kids bothering them, only to have it ruined by families who have brought their unruly kids who spoil the fun. As for the kids, it's not their fault they don't understand what's going on, or worse still, really shouldn't be seeing/hearing what is on offer - cinema staff should be more watchful of this sort of thing.