High School Musical 3

“Mom, is this the right movie?”

Nicholas leaned in close to me and whispered.  And you know how those six-year-old whispers go … the kind that people ten rows back can hear and my ear is no longer dry.

“Yes, honey.  It’s probably just a preview.”

I gotta say, I thought it was a little strange that the preview was showing a man with black leather pants on, no top, covered with tattoos, strapped to some gadget with a saw coming at him.  But hey, it’s been a few years since I was in an honest-to-goodness movie theater, so shrugged it off as a preview.

“Mom, this isn’t High School Musical 3.  I don’t think so.  Where’s Troy?”

I gotta say, I thought it was a little strange that when we walked into the theater, it was 75% full, even though we were the 10th person in line right outside the doors as the staff cleaned up from the movie before.  But I figured that maybe there was another entrance to the theater that I didn’t see.

“I don’t think we’re in the right theater.”

This time is was The Neighbor Husband whispering, trying to balance while leaning over the kids.  Now that the preview had gone on for a few solid minutes, and the saw was getting dangerously closer to the man’s torso, I readily agreed as we quickly scooped up the kids and led them down the dark steps while we shielded them from the screen’s view.

Yup.  We inadvertently walked into the showing for Saw V.  A decidedly very different movie.  No rah-rah sing-song cheerleaders there, that’s for sure, but it might have greatly improved the man’s mood had there been.

Those darn theater employees should really mark the movies more clearly … I felt heaps better as we noticed two other families quickly exiting the theater at the same time as us.

Some six months ago, I heard that High School Musical 3 was coming to the big screen and marked our refrigerator calendar.  The first two in the franchise were on television, never in the theater, so I knew this would be a fun outing for Nicholas.  We counted down the days as it got closer and closer.

Come Friday, we made the executive decision to avoid opening night and go on Saturday afternoon instead.  All the better to avoid the giggly teeny bopper set.  They seriously had a bajillion showings this weekend, with one after the other getting sold out.

As I sat in the movie theater next to Nicholas, we giggled together as we watched the previews… Madagascar and Marley & Me (great book, and the movie looks hilarious).  I forgot how much I loved seeing movies on the giant screen.  Nowadays, particularly with the kids, we opt to rent movies, make popcorn and munchies, dim the lights and have our own showings as home.  And with ticket prices these days?  Who wouldn’t?

But this weekend was a good reminder that a visit to the movie theater every so often is a good thing … especially when shared with my kid (usually The Husband is the one taking him; now I’m going to start fighting more for my turn).

Oh and the reviews?  I liked the movie, but I tend to like, um, teeny bopper flicks that leave me without a care in the world … at least for a few hours.  Luckily my sister is the same way, so if Nicholas isn’t a willing participant, she usually is.  Nicholas liked the movie and was talking about it the next day.  The Neighbor Wife?  I believe the word was “excruciating.”  ;)

Print it!