Susan's Scribblings the Blog

So last night I went to the opening night for the movie version of Twilight and took my mother along.  We went to our favorite theatre which recently changed ownership and now allows more mainstream films and the admission of young people (only older children were allowed under the old regime and no G movies were on the roster).

The house was packed with tweens, teens and a stewpot of dark lurker types and a few vanilla moviegoers like us waiting for the seating to begin.  Believe it or not, they began admitting 45 minutes before showtime and the best seats already were marked with discarded coats while their owners mingled in the lobby.  We managed to get a second tier pair of seats together with no tall people sitting in front of us, so we sat and had popcorn for dinner while watching the free slide show on the movie screen for 40 minutes.

The school crowd created a high-pitched, somewhat nasal (I already wrote about this teen phenomenon, so I won’t complain again here) and constant din as familiar faces from their cliques appeared in the house and were hugged or fist-bumped to death or subjected to introductions around the room.  Somebody decided to serve as timekeeper and would announce the countdown enthusiastically until the start ran past its scheduled time:  at least nobody started impatient chanting.

Once the previews began the crowd settled down with resignation until the familiar “Feature Presentation” trailer appeared onscreen, and then somebody yelled “Take your pants off, Edward Cullen,” to a reply of screams as if we were seated at a Beatles reunion.

Even audience participation at Rocky Horror Picture Show was not crotch obsessed, and Stephenie Meyer certainly would not have expected that comment to stem from what she wrote in four bestselling novels.  My mother and I looked at each other and saw we were both worried about how our appreciation of the film would be helped or hampered by such a vocal crowd.

We really didn’t have to worry.  Sure there were lots of giggles, shrieks and a knowing “woooo” or two at choice moments,  but Twilight was easy and enjoyable to view and share with others.  We even had the oppportunity to talk to some total strangers (moms) who had brought their entourage along (since those folks were years from obtaining learning permits), and the camaraderie was relaxing.  For two hours and two minutes (plus the trailers and evacuation notice), Twilight was worth the anticipation and experience.

I hope that young lady was not disappointed that Robert Pattinson’s Edward did not doff his pants.