I love going to the movies! It’s the best. My moviegoing love started when I was a little boy and grew considerably over the years. I saw my first movie by myself when I was barely 15 (2004’s Miracle) and it opened new doors. I didn’t know you could go alone, but I did and it was great. I would take any chance to go alone (and still do) but when I met my wife, that all changed.
She’s my Movie Buddy. We have spent whole days going to see movies together. From midnight showings with nachos to early morning flicks with espresso and a bagel, our shared love of movies made me love my wife more than I thought possible. Then we had kids.
It’s hard to go to a movie with your partner when you have twin children who aren’t ready for such events. Babysitters are expensive for ONE kid, so that’s been out of the question barring some special event. Movies are special, but not $200 on top of tickets special. We haven’t seen a movie together since we went to the premiere of Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021 (my parents were in town). That changed yesterday.
My twins will be four in March, but they have seen movies. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure was their first. They sat through the whole thing at a little over a year old (but having mild COVID may have helped). Since then they have seen what some may consider too many movies, but they love them as much as I do and I have been planning their first trip to the cinema for months. I took my niece to see the 2016 Ghostbusters when she was four, so I knew that would be a good age. I just needed to find the right movie.
I was toying with what their first movie in a theater would be, and then I saw the trailer for Dog Man. I showed it to my wife first and we both agreed on the spot that it would be the first film they see on the big screen. It couldn’t have been a better choice. Based on the books by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man tells the story of a Dog whose head is placed on the body of a cop and becomes Dog Man. He fights an Evil Cat voiced by Pete Davidson, and hilarity ensues. Pilkey authored the Captain Underpants books as well, and if you’ve read my work here before, you have already correctly assumed that I was obsessed with those books as a child.
Sharing the theater with my young sons was a magical experience. We took the bus into Midtown Manhattan, which was a first for them despite being born on 168th Street and spending the first three years of their life in Washington Heights. The 34th Street AMC is big and magical but not too busy. They marveled at the giant posters on the wall and the never-ending soda machines. The escalators were also a big hit. But nothing compared to them seeing the screen for the first time.
I kept telling them that the screen was as big as our house and Dolby did not make a liar out of me. My kids were slack-jawed as they stared up at the enormous screen. That was before the trailers even started! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a LITTLE nervous that they would get scared or fidgety. Maybe the noise would be too much for them. Thankfully, I was wrong. They were as dialed in as dialed in can be, stocked up with a large bucket of popcorn and some green pepper slices and PB&Js we brought from home.
The movie was a blast. It’s technically a spinoff of Captain Underpants; A story within a story from the Underpants ten-year-old protagonists George and Harold. Writer/Director Peter Hastings did a magnificent job making it feel like a story told (well) by two kids. There was plenty of nonsense, but also heart and some fantastic acting by Davidson. The madcap action and silly gags made the whole family happy and I even cried at the emotional resolution (though I cried when the movie started as well).
I’ve seen plenty of movies alone, but this was obviously different. I got to go with my movie buddy, and we added two more to the team. My wife and I were constantly glancing at each other and our kids, soaking in their every reaction. I sat there with my love sharing our love with our other loves. When the movie was over one of my kids turned to my wife and said, “Can we watch something else?” Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay (they’re still too young for Anora). But I know we are going to go back, together, again and again.
Thanks, Dog Man.
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