# Does anyone else find it highly annoying when people wander around when watching movies at home? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 26, 2019, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541 "2019-05-26T07:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/21 "2019-05-26T20:37:51Z")
If someone I’m watching a movie with gets up once in awhile and goes to the bathroom or to get a sandwich, no big deal. “Wandering” in and out would not be appreciated. I still remember when I was maybe 13 or so and I was excited to watch “Citizen Kane” for the first time, at home on TV. I was watching with my parents and a couple other relatives who chatted during the movie, made snide comments about Orson Welles and other cast members etc. I found this annoying enough that I left and saw the rest of the movie on a small TV in another room. \*After all that, I was unimpressed with the movie given all the hoopla about it being the Greatest Film Ever. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/22 "2019-05-27T01:14:04Z")
**YES.** My wife does it, and it drives me up the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/23 "2019-05-27T01:32:28Z")
Doesn’t bother me at all! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/24 "2019-05-27T01:47:11Z")
My ex would do this. And when she would finally come sit back down, she would expect to be updated. And when I told her: “I don’t know”, she would get annoyed with me: “Weren’t you paying attention?” One time she asked me: “What’s he (the bad guy) doing?”. I told her: “Important bad guy stuff”. I at least got her to giggle at that one. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/25 "2019-05-27T09:30:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I find it incredibly annoying. But divorces are incredibly expensive so I live with it. - x (whatever the count currently is about spouses doing this) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/26 "2019-05-27T14:08:04Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > My wife doesn’t get up and walk around. But she does sit in the recliner staring at her phone, only half-listening and maybe once every few minutes actually look up at the screen. And of course then there will be questions, because she’s been paying more attention to her phone than the movie. Yes, it does get frustrating sometimes. **DesertRoomie** does the same. I got my petty revenge by selecting _The Spanish Prisoner_ once, a film you _cannot_ watch half-assed. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/27 "2019-05-27T21:30:39Z")
My wife doesn’t like to watch movies very much, so at home it’s usually just me. But I don’t understand the folks that pay good money to see a movie in the theater and either 1) show up 20 minutes late or 2) can’t keep away from their phone for 10 straight minutes. I know it \*shouldn’t \*bother me (I don’t even know these people!), but for some reason it does. In a lot of films if you miss the first 20 minutes there’s so much of the movie that ain’t gonna make a hell of a lot of sense. I guess it bothers me that some people don’t respect the director or the “movie-going experience” to give the movie the attention it deserves. But for those times when I’m at home with others… > [@Alessan](#): > > Occasionally. So I pause the film when they get up, and when they say I can keep watching, I say, that’s OK, I’ll just wait for you to finish. Passive aggression: it’s not just for breakfast. This is exactly what I do. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/28 "2019-05-27T22:11:20Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > But divorces are incredibly expensive so I live with it. Do you know why? They are fucking worth it! ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/29 "2019-05-28T15:27:57Z")
UGH! One of my pet peeves. My husband has never sat through an entire movie or TV show, even a half-hour one. Sure, get up to grab a snack or take a potty break - that’s understandable, normal and allowed. But he’ll get up and disappear for 15-20 minutes. Sometimes he’s flossing his teeth, clipping his nails, taking the garbage out, etc. Thank goodness for the pause function. I’ll pause it and he’ll say, “don’t pause it, just keep watching it”. If I don’t pause it, he’ll come back and have a million questions. So I pause it anyway. The worst is when he’ll get up and roam around during the last 10 minutes! I get anxiety! There is only a handful of TV shows that we BOTH like and I usually DVR them. So when I’m getting ready to watch I make the announcement and ask, “are you ready to watch or are you still wandering around?” He’s usually not ready so I wait until he’s settled down before I start the show. He still gets up at least once. He also likes to ask questions as we’re watching a show. 15 seconds into it he’ll ask me - is that his girlfriend or his wife?, where are they?, why are they doing that? Yesterday I yelled at him! I said, “how do I know? It just started. Be quiet and we’ll find out.” Obviously, I enjoy movies and TV way more than he does! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/30 "2019-05-28T15:32:22Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > He also likes to ask questions as we’re watching a show. 15 seconds into it he’ll ask me - is that his girlfriend or his wife?, where are they?, why are they doing that? Yesterday I yelled at him! I said, “how do I know? It just started. Be quiet and we’ll find out.” Obviously, I enjoy movies and TV way more than he does! This I hate. I had a friend who would constantly ask questions like this. Just shut up and watch the show! He’d even do it in a movie theater. And he’d also make comments like “Oho! He’s going to …” Shutupshutupshutup ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/31 "2019-05-28T15:50:20Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > In MY day, you sat your ass down and paid attention to the movie. Cinema is an art form, show some respect. This. There will be no wandering around during movies at my house. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/32 "2019-05-28T15:54:50Z")
Yea, it’s annoying. When I watch something, I like to pay 100% attention to it. Other people don’t seem to have that requirement. As long as they press Play and are in the general vicinity then they have “watched” it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/33 "2019-05-28T16:17:24Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Yea, it’s annoying. When I watch something, I like to pay 100% attention to it. Other people don’t seem to have that requirement. As long as they press Play and are in the general vicinity then they have “watched” it. To be fair, there are some things that don’t require 100% attention: ball games, talk shows, the Oscars… But for something with a continuous narrative, I’m with you. Why watch it if you’re not going to follow the storyline? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/34 "2019-05-28T16:54:55Z")
My father. He seems to believe that a movie is just background noise, and he’ll get up and make a cup of coffee, go outside for a smoke, or do whatever else, regardless of what he misses. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/35 "2019-05-28T18:13:12Z")
So, um, I am someones one of the people who does that. I wonder how much it annoys my husband. But, while I understand that it’s annoying if I have to ask “who is that again?” (something that I often wonder even if I’m paying attention, because I have a very poor memory for faces) I gather that a lot of you are annoyed just by the fact that someone with you isn’t paying full attention. Can you articulate why that bothers you? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/36 "2019-05-28T19:06:10Z")
No problem when we’re both watching something. I do a puzzle (seated) and she sometimes looks at her phone, but usually pays attention. Except when she falls asleep like for the last part of the last Breakthrough. What is annoying is when I’m watching something and she wanders in to chat. We hardly watch anything that we can’t pause anymore, which solves the getting up problem, though that is mostly to skip ads. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/37 "2019-05-28T19:20:36Z")
I don’t take it personally - one thing I’ve learned is that nobody will be as into “your” entertainment as you are. People don’t want to be captive audiences and politeness only goes so far. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/38 "2019-05-28T19:25:05Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > So, um, I am someones one of the people who does that. I wonder how much it annoys my husband. But, while I understand that it’s annoying if I have to ask “who is that again?” (something that I often wonder even if I’m paying attention, because I have a very poor memory for faces) I gather that a lot of you are annoyed just by the fact that someone with you isn’t paying full attention. Can you articulate why that bothers you? Because a movie is a pretty hefty time commitment (normally around 2 hours long) and unless we’re instead spending that time talking and having fun I’d rather be doing something else with that time instead of being part of someone elses background noise. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/39 "2019-05-28T19:30:56Z")
Watching a movie “together” is not something you need to be doing if you’re older than 12. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541/40 "2019-05-28T20:11:55Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Watching a movie “together” is not something you need to be doing if you’re older than 12. Shared experiences are for kids! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-it-highly-annoying-when-people-wander-around-when-watching-movies-at-home/834541.md?page=3)