Ok, I know people can raise their children however they want...but it really, really, really bothers me to see children at rated R movies that are clearly for adults (or at least schoolage).
I'm not talking about teens, I'm not even talking about pre-teens, but there was a kid with her parents who couldn't be more than 5 years old at my viewing of "28 Days Later"!!!!!!!!!
I spend time worrying about a total stranger's kid, whether this scene that totally creeps me out will give them a nightmare or whether the parent will try to cover their eyes on the more gory parts (which they usually don't).
Can you bring young children in such a movie even with a parent? What's up with that?
DonnachaOne
08-18-03, 02:59 PM
I don' t know what other theater policies are, but at the Loew's I work at, a child has to be six or over to go to an R-rated show - and must have the parent, or an adult guardian 21 or over, with them.
I don't think it's strict enough. I don't think it should be kids under ten, at least. Little kids shouldn't be watching R-rated stuff, in my opinion - but they're their kids, not mine.
audrey
08-18-03, 03:13 PM
I only care if they disrupt the show.
Groucho
08-18-03, 03:17 PM
As long as they are quiet, I don't really mind. I wouldn't bring my kids to these kinds of films, but who am I to judge other parents when my daughter's favorite movie includes a graphic torture scene in which a characters legs are torn from his torso?
Mutley Hyde
08-18-03, 03:21 PM
I'm with audrey here. No reason for me to hold other adults to my moral code, but if their kid starts screamin' then I'm ticked.
Now, when I see kids at XXX rated movies, that kinda creeps me out. ;)
iggystar
08-18-03, 03:33 PM
I'm not trying to hold parents to a moral code, simply concerned about the child. Especially when the kid looks like they aren't enjoying the movie, they're getting the crap scared out of them, or at one movie where the mother wanted to sit with her boyfriend the kid sat by themself hands over their face and eventually ran up the aisle to find a seat next to an adult.
Morality has nothing to do with it.
PalmerJoss
08-18-03, 04:22 PM
It doesn't really bug me, but if these same parents who bring their children to R-rated films are the same ones who complain about too much sex and violence in films affecting our children then I DO have an issue.
Spooky
08-18-03, 04:45 PM
I saw a mother bring her 9 or 10 year old daughter into American Wedding...that both upset me and then creeped me out when they were laughing together at the beginning scene.
lisadoris
08-18-03, 04:56 PM
It doesn't bother me but I usually raise an eyebrow. There were little children in the theater when I saw T3 and Bad Boys 2 this summer. By far the most disturbing for me was when I saw Saving Private Ryan and there was a kid nore more than 7 sitting in front of me. That movie scared the crap out of me but maybe she had a better constitution that I do.
Mutley Hyde
08-18-03, 05:18 PM
Originally posted by iggystar
I'm not trying to hold parents to a moral code, simply concerned about the child. Especially when the kid looks like they aren't enjoying the movie, they're getting the crap scared out of them, or at one movie where the mother wanted to sit with her boyfriend the kid sat by themself hands over their face and eventually ran up the aisle to find a seat next to an adult.
Morality has nothing to do with it.
Touchyyy... sorry dude, didn't mean to be offensive. I basically meant it's not my place to tell other people how to bring up their kids... oh wait, that is still a morality issue.
Sorry, how does morality not have anything to do with this again? :hscratch:
Rogue588
08-18-03, 05:29 PM
it bothers me. it especially bothered me when I went to see Freddy vs Jason (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=3952882#post3952882) on Friday.
Tarantino
08-18-03, 07:26 PM
It bothers me when they cry and whine and talk and ****.
It's the main reason I don't go to movies in the theater anymore. It ruined my Terminator 3 experience and my Bad Boys 2 experience.
I won't waste the time and money.
caiman
08-18-03, 07:31 PM
Originally posted by Tarantino
It bothers me when they cry and whine and talk and ****.
It's the main reason I don't go to movies in the theater anymore. It ruined my Terminator 3 experience and my Bad Boys 2 experience.
I won't waste the time and money.
So you don't go to movies in the theater anymore... as of three weeks ago.
Ginwen
08-18-03, 08:25 PM
Occasionally, if it seems obvious as a movie I wouldn't take a kid too (like the Exorcist).
Original Desmond
08-18-03, 09:03 PM
depends on the movie
Irreversible - Yes
Road Trip - No
Crocker Jarmen
08-18-03, 09:11 PM
It does bother me a little, but I suspect I'm just being a bit of a fuddy-duddy. Thinking back to my childhood, I was watching an awful lot of mature material pre-maturely, and judging from the 'First R-rated Movie You Saw" Thread, so were a lot of other people.
And just like Original Desmond says, a lot of it depends on the movie and the kid. At Freddy Vs. Jason there was this 10 year old boy who had been brought in by what looked to be his mid 20's brother. I was thinking about how if I was 10 years old I would have thought Freddy Vs. Jason was coolest movie in he world and relished the memory fondly.
On the flip side, I went to a matinee to try and see Blair Witch 2 (I didn't want to see it, i was just up for some gratuitious carnage) which I understood to be a pretty hard R. As I was going into the theater, ahead of me was a woman with two little kids. the boy must have been four or five, the girl no more than 3. 'Is this a scary movie mommy?' the little girl asked. I felt so disgusted that I turned around and left the theater.
littlefuzzy
08-18-03, 10:35 PM
There was a group of about 5 kids, all under 10, with one woman as the "adult" at the dollar movie screening of House of a Thousand Corpses that I saw... :hscratch:
DVDProfessor
08-18-03, 10:52 PM
It drives me crazy!
When I saw Freddy vs. Jason there was a row of kids in front of me that were driving me crazy! They (of course) didn't get the references to the other films and when I would laugh (or whatever) they would turn around a shoot me a dirty look. It drives me crazy when little kids are at R-rated films. But I just don't like kids period, so I guess that has something to do with it.
Adam Tyner
08-18-03, 10:59 PM
I was kind of surprised to see so many young kids with their parents -- I mean, ones that looked to be between 4 and 6 -- at a 9:50 PM Sunday showing of Freddy vs. Jason. I mean, I don't care as long as they're quiet, but it was still somewhat unexpected.
Big Quasimodo
08-19-03, 03:04 AM
Bothers me alot - if I think it's inappropriate viewing material for my child, then I think it's inappropriate viewing material for yours. So it bothers me.
Of course, it's only my decision to make with respect to my own children....but it bothers me. And I have no problem judging the parents either or giving them my most withering stares of disapproval. :D
Suprmallet
08-19-03, 05:41 AM
Originally posted by audrey
I only care if they disrupt the show.
I am in complete agreement. I think it's up for each parent and child to determine what the child can handle at what age. But I don't care what age you are, 6 or 60, you shut up in the theater and let other people enjoy the movie.
I remember as a child that I was scared to death of E.T. but I loved all the Alien movies. There is really no telling what will and won't be scary to a young child. A lot of traditional suspense and horror elements might go right over a child's head, while scaring the hell out of the adults that took them to the movie.
The same thing goes for movies with a lot of sex. Sex is natural. Kids notice that other kids of the opposite sex have a different body composition. It's not like the kids are going to turn into sex maniacs if they saw a movie with a sex scene. I bet most people wouldn't have a problem taking their kids to see Chicago, which has Catherine-Zeta Jones dressed up in some very fetishistic costumes, and a song that celebrates how several women killed their lovers. And yet, if someone takes their kid to Freddy vs. Jason, the watchdog groups cry bloody murder.
The fact of the matter is, images are so powerful, but we don't know which ones will be powerful to which people. Someone might see Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and have a fascination with bondage for the rest of their life (after watching the "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" sequence), but I bet most will probably just think it's a fun musical number. Or a kid might be frightened to death of E.T. but love Aliens. Everyone is different, and different people can handle different things.
The only movies I wouldn't take young children to are movies with aspects that they don't understand, I wouldn't want to have to take the time afterwards to explain it to them. I guess I'm just lazy. For example, I wouldn't take them to see Eyes Wide Shut. It's not because of the sex, it's because of the way events unfold. It's one of those movies where someone who isn't thinking on an adult level might get lost. Or, I wouldn't show them Chinatown, because they wouldn't know what in the world was going on.
And if I ever give parents a "withering stare of disapproval," it's because their kid doesn't know to **** his trap.
eedoon
08-19-03, 06:04 AM
It bothers me, yeah. But not much, unless they're making so much noise when the movie is playing.
LivingINClip
08-19-03, 06:19 AM
I only care if they disrupt the show. As far as the fact it's a kid in an R-rated movie , that doesn't bother me. I was raised on horror movie's and I turned out fine. Why? Because I knew it was fake, due to the fact my mother always made sure I knew what was on the TV was fake... We won't get into this debate though, because it'll end up being ten pages long.
:D
Tarantino
08-19-03, 08:32 AM
Originally posted by caiman
So you don't go to movies in the theater anymore... as of three weeks ago.
Those were chances I took to see in the theater...a rare occurance. They were still ruined by little kids. So no, I don't go to the theater anymore.
ianholm
08-19-03, 08:50 AM
If parents don't give a crap what their kids watch, why should I? As long as they keep their traps shut and sit in their seat, I just focus on the screen.
iggystar
08-19-03, 09:48 AM
Originally posted by Mutley Hyde
Touchyyy... sorry dude, didn't mean to be offensive. I basically meant it's not my place to tell other people how to bring up their kids... oh wait, that is still a morality issue.
Sorry, how does morality not have anything to do with this again? :hscratch:
I wasn't being touchy, just restating my thoughts on the matter.
Oh wait, I don't think I mentioned that I TOLD the parents anything? I simply stated that it bothered me and I was concerned about a small CHILD sitting in a movie obviously frightened. But I didn't approach said adult. If the kid is there enjoying the picture well so be it, I have no issue with them being there.
My question was whether it bothered YOU? That's all. And if simple human concern for the welfare of a kid is all about morality so be it, nothing wrong with that.
Groucho
08-19-03, 09:53 AM
I always have to laugh when people go to movies on Friday or Saturday nights and then complain about how all the kids ruined their experience.
redskull47
08-19-03, 01:40 PM
Yes, it bothers me. When I saw Freddy vs Jason last week, I was probably the oldest person in the thatre (at 43). At least 3/4 of the audience was under 12, and there were at least 10 people who brought in kids that couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. I agree that some kids can handle scary movies better than others, but I defintely think 5 is too young for FvsJ, and the theatre should have turned them away. In addition to wondering how this movie might affect a pre-schooler, I was really uncomfortable during the nude scenes and the sex scenes at the beginning of the film, knowing I was watching them alongside 5 year olds.
It made me wonder why we even bother with ratings at all? The parents obviously aren't paying any attention to them, and the theatres aren't enforcing them, so why even have them? The kids in the theatre all knew who Freddy and Jason were because they saw them at home on video. The ratings, if they work at all, only keep the kids out of the movie while it's in the theatre. Once it's on video they'll end up seeing it anyway, so... why rate films in the first place?
Rypro 525
08-19-03, 02:23 PM
hell, my theater that I went to strictly enforced the ratings, you know where you get your ticket checked I got asked again "so did you get your id checked, alright then, how old are you"
Chad
08-19-03, 03:35 PM
I've already mentioned this in another thread (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=3952869#post3952869), But I really think theaters should impose a law that bans kids 10 and under from entering any "R" movie regardless of parental supervision. The majority of kids that age have an extremely short attention span and generally aren't interested in the movie anyway.
I personally don't have a problem with kids watching the movie as long as they stay quite ...but in my experience 99% of the time they are either talking, kicking the seats, crying or running up and down the aisles with their parents acting as if they don't even exist. As long as these theater chains allow children in these movies, their parents will continue to bring them without any consideration whatsoever for fellow moviegoers.
cdollaz
08-19-03, 04:28 PM
I think that very young kids can't always separate reality from fiction and that seeing certain types of movies are not good for their mental health.
Suprmallet
08-19-03, 06:56 PM
Originally posted by cdollaz
I think that very young kids can't always separate reality from fiction and that seeing certain types of movies are not good for their mental health.
What a simplfied version of a complex argument. This is true to an extent, which is why it's up to parents to be responsible and explain things to their children.
If they really couldn't separate fantasy from reality, Sesame Street would be harmful to their mental health.
Most G-rated movies have things that are absolutely unrealistic. Toy Story has toys that are alive. Pete's Dragon has a cartoon dragon that befriends a small boy. Looney Tunes characters take all kinds of beatings, as do a lot of MGM cartoon characters. I don't see why R-rated films in particular should be singled out.
If kids can't tell fantasy from reality, then they'd all be crackers just from watching one day's worth of television.
El-Kabong
08-19-03, 07:25 PM
Originally posted by Rypro 525
hell, my theater that I went to strictly enforced the ratings, you know where you get your ticket checked I got asked again "so did you get your id checked, alright then, how old are you"
I'll do you one better. I'm a 33 year old guy who went to FvJ on friday. Previously in the day it had been really hot, but cooled off REAL fast in the evening, so I swapped my shorts for some long pants. Of course in the swap, I forgot to grab my wallet with my ID.
You can see where this is going.
So I didnt get carded while out at dinner with my friends, where I drank like a fish. But oh no - AFTER I have my ticket, as we're heading into the theater, the guy starts checking ID's. Figuring that ANY self respecting theater manager with eyesight even just slightly better than Mr Magoo would see that I'm *WELL* over 17.
"Sorry - no ID, I cant let you in."
"What? I'm 34 - I was born in 1969."
"Sorry sir."
"Look - I saw the very first Friday the 13th in the theater back in 1980!"
"Sorry sir."
"Ok then, he's my parent and/or guardian." pointing to my friend who looks the same age as me.
"Are you?" he asked my friend.
"Yes" he said, totaly deadpan.
"Ok, go on in."
I mean - I'm all for keeping underage kids out of movies they shouldnt be in, but come on. How about some common sense here.
KillaBeez
08-19-03, 10:27 PM
I went to go see FvsJ with 1 of my friends on friday but the people behind me wouldnt stop kicking the chairs or something and it was throughout the whole movie and they were either middle aged teenagers or adults, I couldnt tell because it was dark but from what I saw, they were not kids thats for sure and I didnt bother looking back after the movie when it was over when the lights were turned on. Heck, I saw lady that had 2 kids that were 8 or younger and I haven't heard anything from them. So its not only kids that can disrupt movie goes. Personally, when I do have kids, I won't let them go see R-Rated movies but I don't have a problem with other parents taking there kids to R-Rated movies as long they can keep them quiet through the movie. Even tho the chairs were being somewhat kicked, I still enjoyed FvsJ.
Rypro 525
08-19-03, 10:45 PM
its amazing how parents would take there kids to a graphicly violent movie like this, but say hell no to something like eyes wide shut or basic instinct.
Crocker Jarmen
08-19-03, 11:50 PM
Originally posted by Rypro 525
its amazing how parents would take there kids to a graphicly violent movie like this, but say hell no to something like eyes wide shut or basic instinct.
Well, to be fair, I recall Basic Instinct having some nasty violence (particularily the opening). And Eyes Wide Shut would have bored kids running up and down the aisle in fifteen minutes yelling, 'This sucks! I wanna see Shrek!'
Buford T Pusser
08-19-03, 11:58 PM
I saw "Kingpin" and enjoyed it quite a bit, but would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't feeling bad that the people in front of me had three boys-ages 4-10 with them.
Plus they were rocking their seats into my legs and it was quite annoying.
tasha99
08-20-03, 12:29 AM
To me, it depends why the kids are there. If they are too young to want to go to the movie and are there because the parents were too lazy to hire a sitter, then I think it's awful. There was a little kid like that when I went to see The Ring, and I felt really bad for him--he did not want to see that movie and was alternately bored and terrified.
If the kids want to go, that's different--I'm taking my eleven year old daughter to Freddy vs. Jason sometime this week. She will get any references to other horror movies because she's a horror movie buff and has been for years.
woofman
08-20-03, 09:21 AM
Originally posted by littlefuzzy
There was a group of about 5 kids, all under 10, with one woman as the "adult" at the dollar movie screening of House of a Thousand Corpses that I saw... :hscratch:
Same thing happend to me. A woman brought a bunch of SMALL children to this flick, sorry, but this movie is not right for someone that young, regardless of your morals..... Needless to say they walked out after 3/4 of the movie was over.
I also saw a couple with their small children at the movie "FRIDAY", when it was out years ago. To each his own I suppose.
On the same note, when I was just a young lad my parents took me to see Quest for Fire, thinking it would be some Disney adventure flick, little did they know. Guess that explains why I turned out the way I did... ;)
cerial442
08-20-03, 01:45 PM
movies. Before you jump on and post about how my parents were evil and such, they weren't. I mean honestly I was never frightened, or had nightmares with those films. In fact most of the kids in my class watched the movies as well.
I didn't jump into stuff like Hellraiser or Dawn of the Dead until I was about 12. I basically just stuck with those and the Alien series.
I am 22 now and I turned out perfectly ok. I love horror films now, but I am not violent, or disturbed or anything.
So it depends on the child.
In fact, I am doing better than most of the children who were sheltered from stuff. I am in college getting my Computer Science degree, while alot of the kids who where sheltered from everything are sitting at home doing drugs or are in jail. I am serious.
Rypro 525
08-20-03, 02:13 PM
I also saw in line a parent with a kid who couldn't be older then 7 taken to see bad boys 2 (I don't think she had any idea what she got into)
LiquidSky
08-21-03, 08:52 AM
People's ignorance never stops amazing me. I went to see "Freddy v Jason" last night. A woman came in with four small children (the oldest looking to be about 8). Then, her friend came in with three more small children.
Who in their right mind would bring a small child to a gore-fest movie like this? The children were for the most part quiet but kept fidgeting and getting out of their seats....that in itself was very distracting. At one point, one child fell down and starting wailing. This woman is a moron.
ineluki
08-21-03, 09:52 AM
Originally posted by Suprmallet
What a simplfied version of a complex argument. This is true to an extent, which is why it's up to parents to be responsible and explain things to their children.
Responsible Parents? The way parents ignore their offspring's misbehaviour makes me doubt they exist...
Gilgamesh1082
08-21-03, 11:20 AM
I only have a problem with it when I swear and the parents turn around and tell me that they don't want their kids to hear that kind of language. At Freddy vs. Jason, before the movie my friends and I were discussing one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies when one of my friends says, "I remember that ****! That was ****in funny!" These parents who had brought their 6 year old kids and their kids' friends with them, turned around and told us they don't want their kids to be exposed to that language. Everyone was shocked at this. I looked her right in the eye and told her, "Eat **** lady. Last time I checked this movie is 2 hours long, is a Freddy/Jason movie, and is rated R. I'll personally pay for the tickets for everyone in your group if they don't say **** within the first 10 minutes of this film. If you don't like that language, why don't you be a good ****in parent to your kids and take them to a PG rated film."
This is why I hate going to the theater.
El-Kabong
11-07-03, 04:07 AM
Originally posted by Gilgamesh1082
"Eat **** lady. Last time I checked this movie is 2 hours long, is a Freddy/Jason movie, and is rated R. I'll personally pay for the tickets for everyone in your group if they don't say **** within the first 10 minutes of this film. If you don't like that language, why don't you be a good ****in parent to your kids and take them to a PG rated film."
I dont remember - did someone say "shit" in the first 10 minutes?
jessecrx
11-07-03, 04:15 AM
Originally posted by Gilgamesh1082
I only have a problem with it when I swear and the parents turn around and tell me that they don't want their kids to hear that kind of language. At Freddy vs. Jason, before the movie my friends and I were discussing one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies when one of my friends says, "I remember that ****! That was ****in funny!" These parents who had brought their 6 year old kids and their kids' friends with them, turned around and told us they don't want their kids to be exposed to that language. Everyone was shocked at this. I looked her right in the eye and told her, "Eat **** lady. Last time I checked this movie is 2 hours long, is a Freddy/Jason movie, and is rated R. I'll personally pay for the tickets for everyone in your group if they don't say **** within the first 10 minutes of this film. If you don't like that language, why don't you be a good ****in parent to your kids and take them to a PG rated film."
This is why I hate going to the theater.
Wow, did you really say those things to that lady??
If you really did, I would have paid for your ticket just to see you do that!
Tscott
11-07-03, 05:38 AM
A week ago I went to see Kill Bill- during the intro scene a baby started crying. The parent thankfully left with the kid before the song 'Bang Bang' finished. Then about 5 minutes later, another parent walked out with their 5 or 6 year old daughter in tow. And then 10-15 minutes after that, a mother walked out with her 12-13 year old son acting very confused following her, "Where are we going?" "Why?". I felt sorry for that kid, but why the hell didn't the mom realize before paying for two tickets that this was an R-rated Quentin Tarantino film that just might be a little violent and may possibly have some objectionable content and language.
That's 3 walkouts because a few parents didn't think before hand.
Brett44
11-07-03, 09:46 AM
As far as I'm concerned I am responsible for my own two children, not the children of others. I don't want anyone telling me how to raise mine, so I certainly won't be posting a manifesto telling other parents how to raise their children.
Take care,
Brett
DonnachaOne
11-07-03, 11:25 AM
Well, here's the deal, folks... and it's bad news...
A couple of major chains are getting sued over NOT allowing the kids in with the parents. The parent group suing is claiming that the theaters shouldn't be "telling me how to raise MY child", and that it unfairly targets black people ( -screwy- ). As a result, the other big chains are getting rid of any "no kids under a certain age" rules to avoid lawsuits... my theater, Loews, included.
It sucks now. I can't stop parents from bringing four-year-olds into Kill Bill.
It's not being done for more business, trust me. Since we got rid of "no kids under 6", we've gotten people complaining after/during nearly every show.
Groucho
11-07-03, 11:30 AM
Thanks for the inside scoop, DonnachaOne. That sucks. Whatever happened to businesses being able to "refuse service to anyone"?
The issue isn't about how people should raise their children, its about making the theater experience enjoyable for everybody. Most R-rated films are BORING to young children, so they are apt to act off.
El-Kabong
11-07-03, 01:24 PM
You know, I would gladly pay 20 dollars a ticket for a Premium Theater - where they sell booze so nobody under 21 could go, where the bulb is run at full power, where the sound was perfect, where there was no pre-show ads, just trailers and BAM - movie. Where the popcorn - and hell, real food, perhaps - was reasonably priced.
For all these luxuries, I would pony up the cash and never look back.
TK-421
11-07-03, 04:08 PM
Here ya go...
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/6242223.htm
DaveNinja
11-07-03, 06:17 PM
Originally posted by Groucho
Whatever happened to businesses being able to "refuse service to anyone"?
you can refuse service to anyone as long as they're a hetrosexual, single, white man in their mid 20s or 30s
Imodium
11-07-03, 07:15 PM
As long as they're quiet.
I hardly think a kid seeing something like T3 or the Matrix would really effect them in a negative manner. I'd watch violent stuff like that when I was little.
Maybe Saving Private Ryan is a different story, but my first sentence still stands.
gmal2003
11-07-03, 09:57 PM
It usually depends on the film but if its Rated R, its Rated R for a reason so there is obviously SOMETHING in there (whether it be comedic nudity in American pie or ultraviolence in KIll Bill) that a child shouldnt see. I dont care if they are going see it anyway from friends or the net or whatever, its still bothers me especially when the movie is really over the top (saw little kids at Kill Bill). It also makes me mad because to me it implies that the parents are SO lazy and/or neglectful that they are gonna take there kids to a film regardless to its nature because its a way to kill time without you having to do anything with them. If you cant find a babysitter, maybe you should see....... lets say Boogie Nights or Kill Bill another day.
caipirina
11-07-03, 11:30 PM
a) they bother me when they get loud ... often they do not 'get' R rated movies and become impatient
b) as for content ... depends very much how the parents judge the maturity of their kids ... unfortunately, those kids you see have parents who do not give a damn (in most cases) ...
I would have no problem taking a 12 year old to an R rated movie that has been rated R because of some nudity ... in other countries nudity is all over prime time TV and considered natural ..
But when it comes to violance, something that the rating board seems to be more ok with than any nudity, I would shield kids way more ... recall when you were a kid ... did you have nightmares based on violence or based on naked breasts ???
anyways ... when i watched kill bill one mom brought her 5 year old, who had no chance of understanding the movie thanks to many subtitles ... but she laughed when that head was chopped off ... i was thinking hard talking to that mom after the movie (having worked as a kindergarten teacher in an earlier life) ... ah well ..
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