Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (28Feb06)

I think I may have mentioned (once or twice or possibly a dozen times) that Tuesdays can get pretty hectic at our house. Sometimes, things just fall into place -- but not often.

This week, I'd had a pretty busy day of work -- yet, for some reason, I decided to make an elaborate (for me...on a Tuesday) meal, complete with fresh salads and homemade dressing, mini meatloaves, and steamed veggies. I was hoping that if I worked ahead a bit, Paul would catch the early vibe I was sending out and come home before 6. But alas, no matter how hard I try to get him to read my mind, it rarely works. He showed up at 6:05, meaning that the 6:50 showing up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was pretty much out of the question.

In all the afternoon insanity, I hadn't put together my usual list of showtimes -- so we discussed our options without knowing showtimes. After dinner, we cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher -- then I went to my computer.

"We missed everything," I told Paul.

He didn't believe me.

"Well, we can see Cheaper By the Dozen 2, but I didn't even like the first one. Or we can see Yours, Mine and Ours, but I'm pretty sure that's the same thing. Our only other option is the 7:50 Harry Potter, which will get out at 10:30 -- and we still need to stop at the store for milk."

Oh, the logistical mess!

I was almost tempted to forget about the whole thing this week, but then I remembered how weird it felt to skip last week...

Harry Potter it was.

Since the 7-ish movies had long since started -- and even those people who always show up 20 minutes late were already settled in -- the parking lot was packed. When we finally hiked from our car to the ticket window, everyone around us was buying tickets for Fun with Dick and Jane -- so we were relieved that we'd already seen it. Else, we'd have to battle the crowds.

Our ticket-ripper was surrounded this week -- but not really by moviegoers. As always, the security guy was hovering nearby. There was also a small, silent, scowling older woman standing right behind him, glaring over the ticket-ripper's shoulder at everyone in the lobby. I don't know why she was there, but I found her to be much more intimidating than the security guy. Even the ticket-ripper seemed flustered.

The 7:50 showing of Harry Potter was filled mostly with young-ish couples -- like us. When we came in, there was a couple seated on the other side of the theater, toward the front. Not long after we sat down, she got up and walked out. No big deal -- we all need to take a bathroom break before a long movie. A few minutes later, though, her male companion walked out, too, putting his big puffy coat on as he did -- just as the commercials started and the lights started to dim.

I started to wonder if they'd changed their mind -- or if she'd come back and find him gone. And a few minutes later, she returned. She walked down the aisle and stood there for a while, looking around. Then she just sat back down. I was intrigued by the story unfolding ahead of us -- and I only paid partial attention to the previews, watching to see if the guy with the big, puffy coat would come back.

He did -- several minutes after the movie had started (and after I'd given up on seeing him again) -- with his arms full of a plethora of gourmet theater food.

Apparently, he didn't ration his soda very well -- because after that point, he kept walking in and out of the theater. I figure he was either going to the bathroom, or they'd taken their kids along and dropped them off at Chicken Little -- and he was just going to make sure that they didn't cause too much trouble.

Speaking of kids, the theater had its share -- some so young that they were carried in. This bothered me for two reasons:

1) The movie got out at 10:30! At night! On a TUESDAY! What's wrong with you people? What ever happened to the 8:00 bedtime I used to have when I was that age?

2) I realize that Harry Potter was once just a kid thing. But Harry's all grown up now, having awkward scenes with girls. And with scary skeleton guys in black robes. People bleed. People die. And Voldemort is icky. This stuff will probably give me nightmares! It's PG-13 for a reason, people! This isn't something your five-year-old should be watching at 10 on a school night.

You may think you're saving all kinds of money by taking your kids to see Harry Potter on Cheap Night, but just think of all the money they're going to have to pay for a lifetime of therapy...


By the way...if you'd like to read a review of the movie, check out Angela's review.