Interesting Thing Happened At The Movies Today....

[worrell4077]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 3:33pm

So, me and my sister went to the movies today. She wanted to see Sex and The City, so she went and bought for a ticket for that and while I was waiting I bought a ticket for Indiana Jones. Her movie started later than mine, so I went in and I'm sitting there getting ready to see KOTCS for the second time and it's halfway through the trailers that show before it, and she comes in with nachos, a soda, and raisnets. I said to her, " What happened?" She began to tell me that the ticket taker asked to see some id and she showed her the id and the lady said that she couldn't see the movie because of the rating, so she went and refunded the ticket and bought a ticket for Crystal Skull instead.

I think it's very interesting what happened to her basically because a ticket taker asked to she her id. If anyone is going to card someone for a movie, it should be the box office, the person ripping tickets. It's even more interesting because she and two of her friends went to see Charlie Bartlett and that was rated R and she had no problems getting in to see that movie. I think it's just not right that this had to happen to her and I felt bad that she didn't get to see it.

It's interesting too because the first time she saw Spring Awakening, we bought rush tickets and her id at the time was an eighth grade id. She's able to see a show on Broadway with adult themes like sex, but she gets stopped and asked for id and denied access to see an R rated film based on a tv show that she watched. I think it's interesting.

[Mamie]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 3:57pm

I can understand your frustration on behalf of your sister but personally I found it rather encouraging that ANYONE was paying attention to the ages of the audience for R rated films. I didn't thing anyone did that.

[harris007]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 4:08pm

Having worked in a movie theater for 5 years i can tell you why they do this. many parents will buy tickets for there under age kids, give them the tickets, and then the parents leave. so they have to check there are state statues about it as well, against underage at R movies

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 4:30pm

If the movie theatre is like the ones I've been to, she could have bought a ticket for a PG show, the ticket taker wouldn't have needed to ask her for ID, and then she could have gone into the show she wanted to see.

Yes, I know that's wrong but not uncommon.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 4:53pm

Yeah, it's not that uncommon. I know some theaters don't bother, but some do. Actually, that is exactly what happened to me when I went to see "Superbad." I got carded by the ticket taker, but it didn't matter because I am over 17. She at least apologized to me for doing it, but I told her I understood.

[cmleidi]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 5:33pm

I thought the ratings were meant as guidelines for parents. Are there really statutes pertaining to this? From the time I was ten, my parents always bought tickets to whatever I wanted to see. I only had problem twice, and both times they called home, and my parents gave me the okay.

[ByTheSea920]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 6:17pm

I had a problem like this when I took my 16 year old friend to see Harold and Kumar. I assumed that if I bought both tickets they wouldn't check her ID, since I'm 17. But for some reason they checked my ID THREE TIMES because they didn't believe I was 17, and they wouldn't let me buy her ticket unless they saw her ID. It was ridiculous!!! i'd never had a problem getting underage people into a movie before! For some reason the security for that film was INSANE. Apparently it was really hard for anyone to sneak into it. They checked ids in three different spots in the theater too. It was annoying!

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 6:53pm

I went to see Sex and the City, and they wouldn't sell tickets to the two young girls (probably 16ish) in front of me at the box office line. They had to get their mom out of the car, and she was going to attend the movie with them.

I wonder if they are cracking down on IDs for this movie. Of course, it's perfectly fine to take a freaking toddler who screams into the R rated movie about sex because he's with his parents.... Whatever.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 7:25pm

I got carded every time I went into my towns movie theatre. Funny because when I was 16 I probably looked 20.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 8:24pm

Moral of the story for the OP?
Spend more time in writing/English class and less time at the movies.

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 8:58pm

I think movies like Sex and the City are harmless to youth that age, but the Hostel and Saw movies, not so much.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/31/08 at 9:37pm

If anyone is going to card someone for a movie, it should be the box office, the person ripping tickets.

I think if there is a question about someone's age attending the movie, it should be twofold. Any adult can buy a ticket to an R-rated film and hand it to an underage kid who could go in unaccompanied.