I don’t want to make a huge deal out of this blog but at the same time I have a burning question on my mind that I’ve been dying to answer and it’s about movie etiquette on planes.
Specifically yesterday morning I had an 8am flight from Miami to O’Hare international.
Obviously I’m plugged in for a movie and like a lot of you, I enjoy plane movies. It’s a completely different vibe because you’re out of options. You can’t scroll your phone or walk around. You’re environment has you boxed in to the screen 16 inches from your face and turns out you pay attention much better. That’s why you often find yourself enjoying movies on a plane that you wouldn’t otherwise enjoy at home or the theater.
That’s why I was excited to watch a new installment of the Hunger Games. That shit is complete trash but it makes for the perfect plane movie.
Then I saw Rachel Zegler in the trailer and immediately pivoted.
I needed a palette cleanser.
I scroll to “ALL MOVIES A-Z” and then down to the S’s.
Spielberg didn’t spend decades owning Hollywood only to be left out of American Airlines’ catalogue.
I make it S-A and bingo it’s right there.
*PLAY MOVIE*
It’s probably 8:30am local time on the tarmac when the bullets start spraying in Normandy.
Guy behind me announces to his wife. “Little early in the day for armed conflict, donchathink.”
She was eating shrimp lo mein and was in between bites.
“Huh?” She mustered inbetween two gigantic heaping loads of noodles and wet smelly shrimp.
WAR MO-VIE he said slowly to a wife he clearly hated.
I’m seated at the window and catching this. I peak over my right shoulder for a full serving of eye contact from the shrimp lady. She was squinting at my screen. They were talking about my movie selection in disbelief.
Which brings me to this blog.
I understand SPR is a difficult watch, but I should be able to watch it on a plane without arousing suspicion from those around me.
Passenger 57 would be a different story. Same goes for World Trade Center, Executive Decision, Con Air, Air Force One and even most Liam Neeson films.
Saving Private Ryan is none of those. It’s an American Classic with familiar dialogue and a comforting cast of unforgettable favorites.
Its runtime is also almost identical to the flight time for Miami to Chicago. So from a synchronization standpoint, you’re closely nearing equilibrium which is hard in the 2h 50m window space.
My point is that it checks a lot of boxes that make it a great film for the situation.
My only question is whether or not I’m missing something here that renders me a complete psychopath.
Like to me I think it would be weirder for a 38 year old man to rewatch Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone for the 100th time than it is to watch Saving Private Ryan but that’s just me and right now I’m asking for your opinion.
Am I psycho? What am I missing?