The age of the “dinner and a movie” date is long
gone.
And if you ask me, it’s about time people started to take
notice. Divorce rates starting to tip the scales at a little over
50 percent? I know why, and it all starts on the first date. Going
to a theater to see a movie after grabbing a bite to eat with your
new buddy ““ the supposedly traditional
“time-tested” thing to do on a date ““ is a
sham.
It’s not the eating half that causes a date to go so
miserably, but the movie portion of the date.
Sure, there’s a million things that could go wrong at
dinner, but the one redeeming quality of the whole situation is
that you can still be your (hopefully) charming self. The waiter
can mess up your order, you can wait in long lines without
reservations, the food can even be as cheap as an order of Chicken
McNuggets and large fries at McDonald’s, but nothing can take
away from the fact that having dinner together will always give you
and your date the opportunity to drudge through the normal first
date small talk no matter what the situation.
But in the dimly lit quiet of a movie theater, more can go wrong
besides a few awkward attempts at hand holding or being shushed by
a person behind you. Your future together as a couple all hangs
delicately in the balance of one thing: your choice of movie.
Here’s what I mean.
Not even the best movie can save a bad match-up from inevitably
going wrong. If all you have to talk about after the movie is the
movie, then you’ve got yourself a match that’s bound to
go wrong.
And never, ever watch your favorite movie on a first date. If
the relationship goes sour, you’ll never want to see it
again. One time I watched my once-favorite film “Forrest
Gump” on the first date of a relationship that eventually
ended badly. Ever since then, whenever I see handicapped people or
a box of chocolates, I get really, really upset.
Still, at the same time, the reverse can be just as true and
equally disappointing, and a really awful movie selection can ruin
a perfect setup.
Like if the guy takes the girl to go see one of those
sci-fi-hobbit-light-sabre-trilogy movies once, it’s fine. But
if you’re on your second date and you find yourself watching
the sequel or prequel or whatever it is those science geeks name
their movies, then that’s a big red flag that your date
spends more time indoors than out.
As for really sad tearjerker films, they can be even worse. Not
too many people want to get all hot and heavy after nearly three
hours of “Schindler’s List.” And if they do,
it’s safe to say that’s another red flag.
But all these reasons aside, if you’re still insistent on
making it a Blockbuster night, just pick something short, light and
noncommittal. Your relationship will probably turn out having those
same characteristics, but hey ““ at least you got a little
action. Call me old fashioned, but to me, that’s
romantic.
Want to grab dinner and a movie with Scott? E-mail him at
jscott@media.ucla.edu.