# Overheard at the movie box office **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631 "2006-02-09T01:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/21 "2006-02-09T17:54:14Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > We had an independent contractor come in last week to pick up a check, and he asked us if we knew what the movie Brokeback Mountain was about. He thought it was a western about a couple of ranchers, but had no clue that it is “the gay cowboy movie”\*, as so many people like to call it. > > \*I never would have put this in a spoiler, but apparently, there are some people who don’t know the true storyline. Did anyone explain it to him? I, too, marvel at the number of people who still have no idea what BBM is about, even after months of media blitzing. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/22 "2006-02-09T18:29:00Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Did anyone explain it to him? > > I, too, marvel at the number of people who still have no idea what BBM is about, even after months of media blitzing. My Grandma is one of them. She called me and told me she and Grandpa were going to see “the new western”. My mischevious side wanted to say, “Okay, have a good time!” but I knew they’d be upset. They hated _Unforgiven_ because it wasn’t the traditional good-guy-in-white-hat-wins-shoot-out-in-street-and-gets-the-girl western. “Uhhh . . . I don’t think it’s the kind of move you’d enjoy.” “Why’s that?” “Well . . . uhm, . . . It’s not really a western.” “Well, what is it?” “Uh . . . It’s . . . uh, about ranchers, and their . . . uh, . . . personal problems.” “Your Grandpa liked that Tom Selleck movie about the ranch in Australia.” “Er . . . it’s not like that. It’s sort of a love story.” “That sounds nice.” “Not that kind of love story. Uhm, it’s about the two \*cowboys \*being in love.” _silence_ " . . . Maybe we’ll go see _Anapolis_ instead." “Okay, have a good time.” ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/23 "2006-02-09T19:25:48Z")
Okay, this goes back a few years, and it happened to my sister, not to me. She was in line waiting to see a certain Steven Spielberg film based on an Alice Walker novel, and the guy in front of her asked for “two tickets to ‘The Colored People’”. So at least he wasn’t surprised by the subject matter. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/24 "2006-02-09T19:41:13Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > “two tickets to ‘The Colored People’”. Were they colored purple, by chance? 😃 My kids can’t deal with b/w either. This infuriates me, but hopefully, they’ll come around… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/25 "2006-02-09T19:42:02Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Five minutes after the show started, one of the women came out and said, “so, is this a preview or something? When does the movie begin?” > > I explained there was no “movie”, that this was a theater with live actors and music. She went back in and a few minutes later all four of them came out and left the theater. One of the men came to me and said, “you should advertise this isn’t a movie.” Kill me. Please. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/26 "2006-02-09T19:43:57Z")
I can see the point the ticket guy was making. A black & white movie basically means one of two things: it’s either an older movie or it’s an independant/art movie. If you’re looking for a mainstream commercial movie, you’re probably not going to enjoy a black & white movie. And the same goes for subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/27 "2006-02-09T21:12:12Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Did anyone explain it to him? > > I, too, marvel at the number of people who still have no idea what BBM is about, even after months of media blitzing. Oh yeah - all of the blue-collar boys he goes to lunch with LOVED it when he said how much we wanted to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/28 "2006-02-09T22:01:13Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > My Grandma is one of them. She called me and told me she and Grandpa were going to see “the new western”. My mischevious side wanted to say, “Okay, have a good time!” but I knew they’d be upset. They hated _Unforgiven_ because it wasn’t the traditional good-guy-in-white-hat-wins-shoot-out-in-street-and-gets-the-girl western. I wonder what they thought of _The Quick and the Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/29 "2006-02-09T22:11:36Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I wonder what they thought of _The Quick and the Dead_. They actually liked it, because if you think about it, the story line is pretty traditional-- getting revenge against the bad guys. What bothered them about _Unforgiven_ was the sexuality and psychological aspects. (They’re not big on that “tortured hero” stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckler_of_Swashing)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631/30 "2006-02-09T22:28:31Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > There are other valid reasons. My step mother dislikes movies with subtitles because she constantly has to move her point of view from the action to the subtitles, which makes her miss a lot of things and feel a bit queasy. She’s borderline motion sick watching a movie at all. Constantly shifting her attention would aggravate her motion sickness and make watching a movie with subtitles an unpleasant experience. Fair enough. I never thought of that, I guess because I find that part of the process so easy. So maybe I should cut the people I don’t really know some slack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overheard-at-the-movie-box-office/343631.md?page=1)