The Drive-In

The last two Fridays, I got to go to the drive-in with some friends and I loved every minute of it. I rediscovered all the thrills of the drive-in a couple of years ago, when we took Doc for his farewell. I remember going a couple of times when I was younger, but now it is a summer tradition. I love to watch movies and hang out with friends so it is the perfect balance. You can’t approach going to the drive-in the same way you would if you were at a cinema. I think it is more comparable to watching a movie at home. If you are pretty serious about seeing a certain movie, then I would recommend the cinema, because the environment is controlled. At a drive-in you never know what is going to happen, but that is what makes it fun.

• A double feature for $7 dollars and kids under 11 are free.
• The pre-movie music is old and vintage and a little corny.
• A drive-in is a social activity. You get there early, set up your spot, gather the chairs around, get out the food and drinks, and then talk. After the first show, more talking. In fact, you can talk during the show if you have witty comments to make. It is like a beach setting. People can get creative with their space, and sitting situations. My favorite is the armchairs in the back of the pick-up.
• Bad movies are tons better at a drive-in. The history of the drive-in was all about bad movies or b-grade movies, but your expectations are to have a good time with your friends and not to see high art. By the way, in the last two weeks I saw: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the War of the Worlds, the Island, and Fantastic Four. They were all perfect drive-in movies. I am not saying that these were bad movies, but the fit the drive-in aesthetic perfectly.
• You can count on noise interruptions. At some point in the night, the train will pass by and the airplane will fly over.
• You can count on other problems to arise. Sound problems with the audio followed by a chorus of cars honking for the projection man to fix it. What I thought was a cool special effect in Fantastic Four turned out to be the film melting on the projector. After about a minute we were up and running. Someone may want to leave during the middle of the show and shine their lights on the screen which drowns out the color. But I cherish all these little annoyances, because they are all laughable and enhance the overall experience.
• They have one of the best snack bars I have ever seen. Totally old-school.
• At some point during the second show, the old man will come on over the intercom to announce that the snack bar will be closing in 10 minutes and then 5 minutes. When he does this, he mutes the sound of the movie. Classic.
• Enjoyment of warm summer nights under the moon.
• Always wondering why some people would park all the way in the back.
• The ability to bring your own food in. We have brought pizza, chips, popcorn, cookies, candies – all sorts of junk food and coolers of pop. Throw it all together and then share with your friends.
• And (for Dash’s sake) the best part is the vintage snack ads during intermission. He loves the dance of the hot dog and hot dog bun.

Those were some slices that I just thought of. I am sure there are plenty more. All of the these added together with some good friends create a pretty good time.