Why you should see 'Fifty Shades' in a packed theater
My girlfriend and I will be among the many couples seeing "Fifty Shades of Grey" this weekend, and I approach the outing with much anticipation - not because I think it will be a good movie, but because I can't think of an analogous communal experience from my lifetime.
What's it like, watching an R-rated, adults-only movie about a sadomasochistic relationship in a packed auditorium with hundreds of other people? Will there be nervous giggles? Will everyone stay as quiet as can be? Will there be gasping and moaning on- and off-screen? Will embarrassed couples start walking out in droves after the first hot and heavy encounter between the young, naive Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and the rich, handsome Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan)? Or will we all laugh at how terrible it is?
This promise of a unique communal experience is part of why theaters are still valuable in an age when we can watch new(ish) movies on our iPhones from our beds. It's of course easier and safer for us to wait and watch "Fifty Shades" at home, but even if it ends up being the worst film we see all year, I have a hunch that the theatergoing experience will be memorable.
Seeing a movie with a big crowd can be transformative. Entertaining diversions like "Independence Day" and "X2: X-Men United" became raucous parties thanks to my fellow moviegoers; I still look back on those first-night screenings with reverence, 19 and 12 years later, respectively. In 2004, I was certain that "The Grudge," a middling Sarah Michelle Gellar vehicle based on a Japanese horror film, was the Scariest. Movie. Ever. That's the power of a theater packed with screaming teenagers.
But no moviegoing experience of mine has been stranger than a trip to the AMC South Barrington 30 on Jan. 23, 2009, when I saw the Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslet drama "Revolutionary Road" with my sisters. Sam Mendes' adaptation of Richard Yates' 1961 tale of domestic strife doesn't seem like an ideal movie for a siblings' night out, but all three of us count "Titanic" among our favorite movies.
Most who saw "Revolutionary Road" came away thinking it was a devastatingly bleak portrait of a sad family. So why was everyone in our theater laughing?
Yes. We all laughed our way through a movie full of over-the-top screaming matches, life-ruining decisions and tragic deaths. We laughed at Kate's retorts to Leo's exasperated complaints, Kathy Bates' befuddled reactions to the craziness around her and Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon's filter-free neighbor.
For one night, in one theater, in one suburb, "Revolutionary Road" played to a group of about 20 moviegoers like a darkly savage comedy - and it still worked. Nobody walked out. Nobody yelled sarcastic comments at the screen. We all loved it, and we all collectively misread it.
I will remember that for the rest of my life. Could I say the same about "Revolutionary Road" had I watched it on my couch with a bag of potato chips? I think not. (That being said, watching "The Interview" this past Christmas Eve without leaving the house was rather cool.)
So if you are at all inclined to see "Fifty Shades of Grey," I say go immediately. Go tonight. Go when there's a huge crowd. It could be quite the memorable night.
<i>Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor and a tireless consumer of pop culture. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.</i>