Random Rambling: To Pee or Not To Pee
"Killers of the Flower Moon" is almost three and a half hours long. Some theaters, without the studio's knowledge, put in a 6-10 minute intermission. When this information got out, the studio intervened and asked the theaters to stop. This has been a hot topic amongst the movie-going community, and I am of two minds about it.
On the one hand, I understand why theaters would do this. It makes this incredibly long movie more accessible to people. Not everyone will willingly go out to a theater to watch a film of this length. Giving them a break might be something that entices someone who is on the fence to go to the theater. Scorsese defense for the long runtime is, "People say it's three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours." With all due respect to the legendary director, when I am binging things at home, I have access to a pause button.
On the other hand, I respect the vision of the creators. The editor, who has called the intermission a "violation," works hard at pacing the movie. Their vision deserves to be seen in a way they approve of, which should be honored. For anyone to mess with that is a violation of sorts. To put an intermission in the middle of a film where there was not one before should not be allowed.
Here is the thing. If you have to go to the bathroom, just go. I am a teacher, so I have a "teacher's bladder" and can count on one hand the number of times I have had to leave during a movie. It is never really an issue. Since most people work in jobs where they can pee whenever they want, I sympathize. If you are going to see a long movie, prepare ahead of time; don't drink anything or go before the movie.
If a theater wants to put in an intermission that helps get more patrons, that's fine. The theaters are struggling, and we can't count on a Taylor Swift concert film to break box office records every week to save them. Then again, if you are going to a theater to see a three-and-a-half-hour movie, you are an adult and should go to the bathroom if you have to go.
In all honesty, this is a silly argument.
