Every now and then when I have some free time, I think it would be nice to relax in the air-conditioned darkness of the cinema, with a bag of popcorn and some M&Ms, watching a good movie. However, the kinds of movies my friends and I enjoy watching are rarely screened. Action, horror and children’s films seem to dominate the MovieTowne Tobago schedule.
On this particular day, a friend and I arrive at MovieTowne just before 10.30 am. We have some free time and have decided to take advantage of the $13-per-movie-for-one-day-only special in honour of the cinema’s thirteenth anniversary.
The choice of movies does not appeal, but we choose one anyway—War Room—simply because my friend says two people told her it was good.
The car park is unusually packed with cars, especially for that hour of the morning. Inside, people of all ages scurry to buy tickets or stand chatting animatedly in long lines at the concessions counter. The excitement in the air is tangible. I wonder if many have taken the day off from work to enjoy the special admission.
Armed with popcorn, M&M’s and water, my friend and I head for Cinema 4. Usually when attending a movie in Tobago (at least for the rarely-shown independent kind) there may be anywhere from two to six people in the theatre, me and one or two friends included. Today there are about twenty people, sitting in the dark awaiting the movie—some munching on snacks, some staring at glowing phone screens.
The movie, War Room turns out to be nothing about war; at least not the kind of ‘war’ one might automatically assume it refers to (eg World War).
What unfolds before us is a family-oriented film that advises on how to fight spiritually using prayer and the Bible. Ordinarily such a movie would not appeal to me but, despite not-so-great acting, the film is entertaining and inspiring, moving us from laughter to tears and back again, as a small family journeys from the point of near breakup to a victoriously happy ending.
“She foot mus’ be real stink!” a man behind us shouts at one point as the wife/mother’s severe foot odour problem features as a focal point in the film for about the fourth time. All of us erupt in laughter, agreeing with the male patron’s commentary.
“Give me a man like daaaaaaat!” one woman screams toward the end as the husband (who had been on the verge of leaving the marriage but found his way back as a result of his wife’s praying in the ‘war room’) lovingly washes and massages his wife’s feet in a tub of hot water (while wearing a gas mask)...and she slowly consumes the rich chocolate-whipped-cream-with-cherry-on-top dessert he has given her.
We patrons again burst into laughter, some clapping in agreement. The live commentary, laughter and applause are more entertaining than the film itself.
Afterwards, in the lobby, a woman I don’t know runs excitedly up to me. “Which one you saw?” she asks, eyes bright.
“War Room.”
“It good?”
“Yes.”
“Good!” she says, informing me that she’s there for the day and is deciding which tickets to buy.
There were so many people buying multiple tickets and multitudes of snacks, to provide energy for their whole-day movie marathon, that I wondered if MovieTowne would consider having this special more often.
But then again, offered more often, would it still be considered ‘special’ by the masses?