Andy Goes To The Movies

Are The Days Of Going To The Movies Over? Andy Doesn't Think So!

(CBS)  The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney. The segment was originally broadcast on Dec. 17, 2006. It was updated on Aug. 29, 2007.

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On most Sunday evenings, I watch 60 Minutes at home like everyone else. I don’t see anything but my own part of it before the program is broadcast.

Recently I watched Lesley's piece on people who rent movies to watch on their television screen in their own living room instead of going to a theater.

Lesley had some figures I’m not sure of. She said a company called Netflix made $688 million renting movies last year.

Well, I may be wrong but I don’t think renting movies to watch at home for $5.00 is ever going to be the way most Americans see a movie. You can’t rent the popcorn.

The phrase "Going to the movies" means something special. It's more than just watching something on a screen. It's more than entertainment and it isn’t anything at all like watching a movie at home. I’ve been going to the movies since I was about eight years old and I still enjoy it occasionally. My mother used to give me thirty five cents, which bought the ticket and the popcorn or caramel corn. Now she'd have to give me about $8 or more for the ticket and $5 for the popcorn.

Sitting in your own regular chair in your own living room may be easy but watching a movie that way is like having a party and not having anyone else come.

There are all sorts of good things about actually going to a theater. Your phone doesn’t ring during the movie. No one starts talking to you about President Bush during an exciting part of the show. The seats are different than your chair in your living room but they are comfortable.

If there's someone too tall in front of you, you can always move over a couple of seats.

I think the best thing about actually going to the movies though is being in an audience with other people around you. You don’t know them but you laugh or cry when they laugh or cry. You bond with a lot of strangers. It's a friendly feeling even though you don’t get involved with them. Your only relationship to the other people in the theater is the feeling you’re sharing about that movie. I like that.

You can watch a picture at home if you want but I’m going to the movies.

[zebulum1]

ge wizz andy i do aplogize for all the over educated coments about goin to the moveis yould think in this day and age people would remember that its an american tradition and night out withe the kids or wife a mistress or gal friend not to over think it i know it will never die in this country as i love to go and do whene ive a mind too i dont have a suv withe shinny rims a big house or even a car but i do have three bicycles a skate bord and am retierd did so at age 28 now at 40 i love all the things i did at 16 even if it cost 50 dollers a show id pay it if i had a mind too get the pitcher !

alexander....

[zebulum1]

ge wizz andy i do aplogize for all the over educated coments about goin to the moveis yould think in this day and age people would remember that its an american tradition and night out withe the kids or wife a mistress or gal friend not to over think it i know it will never die in this country as i love to go and do whene ive a mind too i dont have a suv withe shinny rims a big house or even a car but i do have three bicycles a skate bord and am retierd did so at age 28 now at 40 i love all the things i did at 16 even if it cost 50 dollers a show id pay it if i had a mind too get the pitcher !

alexander....

[a1491211]

Dear Andy
Here are a few good reasons to rent movies.
A family of five can see the movie for just $5.00.
You can watch the film at your convience.
You don''t need to find a parking spot for the car.
You can pause the movie to go to the bathroom.
You know the ingredients in the food you are eating.
You soda is 2% ice and 98% soda not the revurse.
Louis
Reddwood City, Ca.

[storched]

What a joke, I agree with all that responded concerning "going to the movies and bonding". The next few years will really indicate what the public wants and does.
I foresee the movie theaters as we know them dying out and new releases will be pay per view, which by the way will generate much more revenue for the movie industry. Of course the theaters are petrified to face this fact that they are becoming dinosaurs like the typewriter is to the computer. Thanks Andy, but face reality.

[baye13]

I rarely go to the movies. None are worth seeing. Most of the DVD I get from Netflix are documentaries.
I do not attend movie theaters for many of the same reasons you all have stated.
The last time I went to the movies I was shocked to see COMERCIALS!!!!!

[hypnotoad72]

Hmmm, I must be showing my age too. I have been an avid viewer/listener/reader of Andy Rooney for several years (decades) now. He has never failed to make an interesting, provocative, or thought-provoking insight.

Movies *used* to be a social event. Now it's just a special effects laden violence and *** fest devoid of character or depth. And it's a matter of how many can be thrown out to the public in a year.

Going out to movies, at least good ones, is a fun thing to do. Not just for the storyline (which makes those I go out to see few indeed), but the interaction of the people in the audience. The shared expression of emotion, which is relevant to the concept of "community".

But as I said, movies these days are as much garbage as most television and music. Andy's point is about community in society. Today's society is geared toward how much money you can spend on a home system to watch everything in private (or how to make a public situation so bad that people would prefer to stay home - e.g. the cell phone ringing in the theater.) Our own private Idaho. Try Bermuda Triangle instead; it's explain why so many people also feel lost.

While home theaters have their time and place, the lack of community in our society is grossly lacking and all too many of the comments here prove Andy's point all too well. And it's a shame.

Thank you Andy for always speaking your mind. And for your meritorious history in the field.

BTW: I'm 34.

Sincerely,
David P. Cole

[samelson2]

Andy Flipped.

An old goat like him should stay home and watcha DVD rather than driving and sitting in a theater with all those peopel spreading germs.

Wakr up old goat!

[hhk1984]

I love going to the movies to see a good film with friends, but there is nothing like Netflix. I am so happy with my subscription. I have seen the most amazing films. The choice is not mutually exclusive: theater or Netflix. I think Andy Rooney should check it out with a trial subscription. I think it would be interesting to hear what he would say after trying it.

You know of course that Andy just likes to poke fun at America, why take such great offense to it? He has his 2 or 3 minutes of fame each week to voice his concern or belief just as you and I do here. I Love that part of 60 Minutes that I have watching for over 26 years or so. It's always nice to hear someone else kid the great american public of how smart or dumb we are.

[imprimis1]

Mr. Rooney's most recent piece is completely disconnected that it is laughable and yet, in reflection, sad to actually watch this past Sunday. This piece would have made more sense in 1983 in the age of VHS tapes instead of today. Not only the numbers from Netflix returns but also the home entertainment industry is the clarion call that the movie house is on its last leg ... and, sadly, so is Mr. Rooney if he actually believes what he stated.

"I think the best thing about actually going to the movies though is being in an audience with other people around you." That is complete sappy romantic drivel.

[oleander8]

Andy - you're showing your age....going to the movies ain't what it used to be.

[mediapusher-2009]

This post is so I could finish what I wanted to say (1500 word maximum)...Andy I would also like to add that I know you don't watch movies at regular theatres. You go to industry screenings where people actually have some manners and cooth. When's the last time you've been to "real" theatre?...In addition to what I said in my earlier post...If the theatre doesn%u2019t have time to clean the theatre before the next movie starts, we get to walk through smashed popcorn and soda mush on the floor, and who knows what else because of the litterbug pigs we get to keep company with while watching the movie. Annoying cell phones, and people coughing on ya. Wow, what a way to go Hollywood.. Ridiculous. Quite frankly I won%u2019t be upset if theatres go out of business. Surprisingly enough there are still fools out there willing to go to the motion picture theatres.

[mediapusher-2009]

More than likely the motion picture industry is paying Andy to say good things about it with this charade of a segment he has on CBS. Let%u2019s all go to the movies. In the process we%u2019ll be solicited by the clerks before the movie starts for some bogus charity effort, and have the majority of the audience yell with expletives, throw popcorn and candy at them before they leave with disgusted looks on their faces. HA! Then we%u2019ll be tempted to smack the child in front of us that won%u2019t shut up or stop crying as well as the rude people behind us that can%u2019t speak English and won%u2019t stop talking because they need everything in the movie explained to them. On top of that we%u2019ll experience the joy of being forced to watch 15 or 20 minutes of commercials before the movie starts even though we%u2019ve paid a ridiculous fee to get in the movies ($12.00) where I live.. Oh and the lovely cramped seats, blocked view, shoebox design of the theatre, and the blocked view that the 6 foot 1 inch tall guy (This is a common tall height in U.S.A.) in front of you provides are especially "nice" features.

The last time I went to a theater was in 1989, I can find almost any movie I want to see at a rental place, Blockbuster etc, its much cheaper and I have more fun at home, and if by chance I did not hear some thing right I can always hit that rewind button, we have an LCD projector that projects an image on a screen hanging on the wall that measures 8 feet wide and 6 feet tall, this is our little theater..

[catt42701]

Go to a movie. No way. Why risk my heath and my calmness by going to a movie where babies cry, children run up and down the aisle, cell phones sing their songs and a general murmur of people talking to each other blocking out what I want to hear or see. At home I can lean back, pause the movie to go to the bathroom or get a snack, and yes answer the phone. I don't have to worry about that person behind me coughing giving me something I don't want and I can actually hear and see the movie without children squaling or running up and down the aisle. I'll take rental any day.

[garymey]

This debate is always a tough one. I operate an independent neighborhood theater in San Francisco, The Balboa. We work hard to keep cell phones off, ask customers to respect the rest of the audience, provide customer care and service and keep our admission and concession prices below the megaplexes. We have our very loyal fans who won;t go anywhere else.

The cost of going to the movies doesn't compare to those at a concert, live theater or a sporting event. We offer a bargain in comparison.

Unfortunately, many people have rationalized the home experience where the phone rings, solicitors show up at the front door, the email alert pulls you away, the pets need to go outside, the kids won't be quiet and the popcorn butter gets all over your couch.

I urge you to seek out your local independent theaters and see if the experience changes your mind. I can't speak for all locally owned theaters but our survival is dependent on you having a good experience. Come visit us if you are in the City by the Bay.
www.BalboaMovies.com

[avigil2]

It costs $9.75 for a full price movie here in Seattle. And another $5.25 for a small (that's children size) popcorn. Netflix RULES!

[rufusmin]

DON'T RETIRE,ANDY! No matter WHAT some of these whippersnappers (young and old) say. We need more curmudgeons like you. THEN maybe things can return to what they OUGHT to be. Like a young secretary said (in an office where I was working) when she felt her computer wasn't fast enough: "Hey, this is the nineties!" (Yes, that long ago) and I just looked at her like she had two heads and replied "What's that got to do with the price of eggs?" which makes as much sense as what SHE said. Hang in there, Andy, and "give 'em hell Harry!"

[chuck3034]

To Andy Rooney: I seriously doubt that any "movie experience" you might have enjoyed has been recent. No Phones?! You've got to be kidding! The cell phone usage in movie theaters has become so disruptive and annoying that theaters have to flash warnings onscreen telling people NO CELL PHONE USAGE DURING MOVIES or the phones will be confiscated, and offending person(s) may be asked to leave. These are people of ALL ages, not just young people.

People in theaters now TALK OUT LOUD constantly during movies -- evidently the old ones are deaf and/or are too dim, so their partners have to explain whole movie while it is being shown. Younger ones have not been taught any movie etiquette, so they talk out loud as if they are in their own livingrooms. There are also a number of people who love to stretch out and put their feet on top of seats in front of them -- just like at home?????

We are of a certain age where we get discounts at movie theaters, and I too, used to love the "movie experience." But due to escalating rudeness and just plain bad manners of people attending movies currently, I would rather stay at home and enjoy my own good "movie experience" on our big screen TV without all the bad distractions.

You Andy, should be aware of your subject before you blather on describing what USED TO BE. . .

[mmaydbq]

Bill Griffith's comic "Zippy the Pinhead" recently focused on going to the movies in a strip called "First Row Flip-Out":

http://tinyurl.com/ylcpqf