Sitting behind me in the theatre for the packed matinee of The Last Jedi was a guy whose voice was very loud. (I peeked at him after the film as he got up and left. He was over 6 feet tall and built like a linebacker.) He kept up a running commentary through the previews – and I wondered if maybe I should move. I don’t need sacral silence in a movie theatre, especially not The Last Jedi, but I also don’t want constant chatter in my ears. I am so glad I stayed put because his commentary – spontaneous, unabashed – was such a huge part of my experience of the movie.
Two moments I will share, and these are just two of many MANY more. He responded – audibly – to everything. I was so in love with him.
Please take note:
If you’re the kind of person who can’t bear hearing anything at all – no matter how small – about a movie before you see it – first of all, calm down. Second of all, stop reading. Now. You’ve been warned.
1. When our feisty adorbs technician collapsed, her head falling down on her shoulder, after being “hit” – Guy behind me exclaimed, “Oh HELL NO!!” He was devastated.
2. After a particularly cathartic moment, guy behind me shouted – literally at the top of his lungs, “Now THAT’S a Jedi Master!!!”
Film-makers DREAM of making a film that gets that level of audience engagement. This dude was IN.
So was I, for the record. I’ve got my issues with the whole franchise and what it has done to the industry, but that’s not Star Wars‘ fault. That’s just the way it went. I thought it was entertaining and I was quite frequently very moved. I put this up on Twitter and it has (surprisingly) gone viral – not viral like 10,000 Tweets, but viral for me:
There’s one shot in the casino that is a direct steal of this famous shot from William Wellman’s 1927 first-movie-to-win-Best-Picture – Wings:
There were many “nods” throughout to other films, films that inspired Lucas, but that one was my favorite.
/”Now THAT’S a Jedi Master!!!”/
This is making my morning!! I love this guy, totally enthusiastic and unafraid to show it in spite of the fact that that’s not “cool”. I just love this!!
He was so into it! It was truly heartwarming – once I went with it, that is.
I’m pretty sure I loved The Last Jedi. I’ve gone from enjoying it, to questioning whether it was good or great, to thinking about what the movie is saying about good and evil. I’m coming up on love for the movie: long-term, lasting love.
But, while I laughed and gasped and cheered during the movie, I did not get into it as much as this gentleman and I LOVE him.
He was the best!
I’m definitely not over the moon about the movie – but I enjoyed it. I’m a first-waver with these movies – I saw the originals in the movie theatre when I was a kid. and adored them. But I don’t have the attachment to them that some of these fans do – the ones who are angry about this film (and the fact that there are strong women in it. Really? Did they somehow MISS that Princess Leia was heading a rebellion?) anyway, they can do whatever they want with the story, as far as I’m concerned – as long as it’s interesting, watchable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The first three films didn’t take themselves too seriously.
So I liked the “tone” of this one – and I was engaged with it.
Random Adam Driver all shirtless!! which was so weird! Have we ever seen that much skin in these movies – outside of Leia’s tragic bikini??
I love people like him – especially cause I’m one of them. People have shushed me for laughing, watching a comedy. Maybe if can’t stand anything, stay home? And I say that being also the kind of person who can’t stand loud chewers and people who have conversations during a movie. But people reacting are the BEST. Some movies I go see when I know there’ll be children, because they don’t hold back and it makes the viewing so much more hilarious/touching.
One of my best memory of going to the movies was at the premiere of Joss Whedon’s Serenity. We were fans of the tv show that had been cancelled, so we were IN. When one of the characters died, I was literally crying ON the dude next to me, who I had met 5 minutes before the movie. We were holding on to each other and crying on each other and that was the BEST. I’m getting a little teary-eyed just typing this.
//“Now THAT’S a Jedi Master!!!”//
Ha ha, that’s so great. Thanks for sharing this with us!
I went to the first showing of Serenity-at the scene you spoke of-I screamed, and I wasn’t the only one! Lots of tears from all the Firefly fans…
I know – the shock! I mean, it’s Whedon, so now we KNOW shit like this will happen, but still!
// Some movies I go see when I know there’ll be children, because they don’t hold back and it makes the viewing so much more hilarious/touching. //
Oh absolutely! It’s the best!
Now I don’t want someone trying to ruin my experience – (this happens a lot at old movies. People “laugh” at stuff they think is old-fashioned – it drives me craaaaayyyyyyyzee) or – whispering, “What? What’s happening? What is this about? I don’t get it …” like the poor lady behind me at Jafar Panahi’s Closed Curtain – I finally reprimanded her. Firmly. I’m sorry you don’t get it but maybe if you shut up for 5 seconds, some of it might start to sink in??
// We were holding on to each other and crying on each other and that was the BEST. //
That is so amazing!!!
My son told me about this time he was watching a movie (don’t remember what it was) and some guy stood up and yelled DON’T DO IT, DENZEL!!! Which apparently was the high point of the movie.
Jincy – HA! Denzel!! First-name basis.
That is so great.