I went to see SKYFALL in the theater when it came out in Union Square in NYC in the late afternoon. Sat down and was hoping to enjoy myself. Trailers come up and across the aisle, like directly across the aisle a man, a woman and a young (under 6 years old I think) child sits. Through out the trailers the child keeps making comment, after comment that are loud enough that the whole of the audience can hear him. How do I know that everyone there could hear him? Because a good portion of them laughed at the child's comments, which were cute and naive as a child's would be. I wasn't laughing though because I JUST KNEW that this kid was not going to shut up once the film started though I hoped for the best.
No luck. From the moment the film started this kid kept up with the questions, comments and general bratty-ness. "Who's that?" "Oooh... England." "I'm bored." "I'm hungry." "What's that man saying?" "Where's my toy?" "I'm thirsty." And on, and on... all at the same volume as when he was speaking before. Mind you this wasn't him doing this every twenty or thirty minutes, this was more like every five minutes. About forty minutes into the movie I just lost it and yelled at the kids mother, "You know, we all didn't come and pay for tickets to listen to your child?! Control him or take him out of the theater!" Of course the mother takes great umbrage and gives me some jibber jabber about how I'M the one disrupting things and that I was being "disrespectful" to her. (The man that was with her just sank down REAL low in his seat, giving me the impression that he wasn't happy with the situation either. He gave off the vibe of a dude that wanted to go out with this woman but she brings her child with her.) First of all, who brings a child to see any of the Craig Bond films. There is nothing in them to appeal to a kid that young. Nothing. Not to mention the subject matter. Secondly, you know the parent had to be hearing what the child was doing. I wasn't just talking to this woman apropos of nothing. Anyway the kid continues, so I get up walk out the theatre and go to the box office. I inform them of right where the child and the mother are sitting and ask for a refund. The girl at the box office apologizes and gives me a two passes and promises to send someone up to the theatre to check on my complaint.
Look, I don't blame the child. He's a child. He has no self control as kids are want to at that age, and I am sure the last thing he wanted to do was go out with his mom and her boyfriend to see a techno-spy thriller. But it's the mother's duty to TEACH him self control, and it's the mother who should have known better than to bring a child that young to a movie that was in no way shape or form going to hold his attention for two hours.