I was on a plane and had rented Wolf of Wall Street for the occasion. I’m a Scorcese fan, but don’t get to go to the theater often, so this was my first opportunity. I really knew little about the movie other than it was Scorcese, and therefore I wanted to see it. But, to be honest, it had considerably more nudity/sex than I had expected, as these are not generally central to most of his movies.
My wife, sitting next to me, was appalled that I was watching this on a plane where anyone could be watching, and informed me that I probably shouldn’t watch R rated movies on a plane. My initial argument was that I didn’t know it would have all that sex in it, but to be honest, I don’t think it would have changed my mind much if I had known. There were no kids sitting directly behind me, if that matters. But, no doubt there were some kids who conceivably could have walked down the aisle and looked at my laptop. I was in the aisle seat if it matters.
So, is there a general consensus for what the etiquette is here?
Seems to me the airline broke the rules of etiquette by showing such an edgy movie to an audience that cannot consent to it. Tacky. Write a letter to them explaining what happened, and how you don’t approve.
Otherwise, turn your head and look out the window, or read a book…
I once was on a flight where they showed a horror movie, and I very, very strongly did not want to see it. I focused in very tightly on my book…and I wrote a letter of complaint to the airline. They wrote a very nice non-responsive letter back. Life is like that.
The plane wasn’t showing it, he was watching it on his laptop.
My opinion is that if you’re in the window seat, your wife is next to you, no kids behind you and you’ve got headphones on, it’s no big deal. But you were in the aisle, so everyone it the aisle across from you and down a few rows had to watch it with you. My vote is that you shouldn’t have been watching anything ‘objectionable’. I get that you didn’t know it was going to be like that, but you probably should have turned it off when the nudity showed up or at least skipped past those scenes (if you can, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it).
I misread the OP, I thought he watched it on the seatback entertainment monitors. I’ve seen hard R films on those before, with graphic violence and sex, in which case my thoughts were that if they make it available to watch, it’s perfectly fine to watch it.
IMHO anything short of actual pornography and you’re fine as long as you use headphones, regardless of where you’re sitting or if there are kids behind.
I could maybe see not watching movies with a lot of sex in an aisle seat, but the movie rating system is so far removed from reality that it being R-rated shouldn’t be a factor.
In that case…I should think it would be polite to watch something else, and wait to watch a movie with a lot of nudity in a more private place. Same with reading magazines with lots of nude pictures: it may be legally acceptable to read them in public, but it’s less than sterling etiquette.
I think it’s been in bad taste. I’ve seen people watching soft porn on planes, and it did make me a little uncomfortable, as I’d prefer not to share anything erotic with strangers. It doesn’t hurt to watch something else, or skip through the shady scenes.
Your wife was right. Traveling by air these days is an unpleasant enough experience as it is without being exposed to unexpected and unwanted graphic violence and sex. It’s just boorish behavior on your part.
No it wasn’t. He wasn’t watching a porno or something. He was watching a mainstream movie that happened to have a bit more nudity than is typical, but still probably only adds up to only a few minutes out of a 2 hour film. Anyone sitting near enough to see what he’s watching should mind their own business and anyone walking by should have better things to do than peer at everyone’s laptops as they stroll by. That’s pretty lame.
While there are certainly more offensive things that one could do on a flight, this probably wasn’t a good idea if you were sitting on the aisle. If nothing, one of the airline stewards (with their newfound powers in the wake of 9/11) could have caused you problems by insisting that you turn your film off for the “sake of the other passengers.”
I’m on the wife’s side. I wouldn’t rule out all R-rated movies (especially if it’s a rating based on language) but I would rule out movies with substantial nudity, scary images and/or blood. Frankly, there are even some PG-13 and TV-rated programs with enough skin and implied sex that I’d be uncomfortable watching it on a plane. I suppose kids aren’t going to be damaged by underwear and heavy kissing… but they’re not my kids and it’s not really up to me to make that call. In an environment like a plane, I feel like my first priority is to avoid causing any discomfort to the people around me.
This is why I stick to reading erotic stories on my laptop while traveling. Anyone who takes the time to read the text gets what they deserve. It’s not as if my laptop screen is set to 72 points.
It is a little annoying when a film has nudity that was apparently put in there specifically to avoid a G or even PG rating. I love the film Topsy-Turvey about Gilbert and Sullivan. The filmmakers put in utterly gratuitous nudity and profanity just to make sure they got an R rating.
If you’re going to watch films on a plane, you might consider investing in a 3M Privacy Filter. It’s pretty much impossible for anyone other than yourself to see what you’re watching. Your screen will appear black to anyone not directly in line of sight.
Privacy screen, with headphones, on your own laptop, in a window seat - sure. Otherwise, I think it’s rude. There might be kids around, there might be other people who would feel uncomfortable with that, and there’s enough discomfort on a flight already without adding to it. It’s not as though there aren’t other things you could watch, and you can always watch this at another time. If there is graphic sex or violence that you didn’t know about, I think the polite thing to do is skip over it.