Do You Watch Movies Like an Introvert or an Extrovert?
Ask a movie lover whether they prefer to see movies in their home by themselves or with a group of people, and you’ll often get a passionate argument for one or the other. Some argue that watching films with other people is way too distracting, and they can’t really immerse themselves in the movie. Others argue back that the best way to watch a movie is with a full audience, because that’s how the filmmakers intended it to be seen when they made it for theatrical release.
Admittedly, some of this comes down to pure personal preference. I’m intensely introverted and will nearly always prefer solo movie-watching to a group watch, while my more extroverted friends are more likely to round up a group of friends to watch with.
But there is a third side to this debate: The idea that one or the other isn’t better all the time, but rather that each lends itself to certain genres or movie types. Which viewing style is best for which movie style? Here are a few ideas.
Comedy
Comedy is extremely subjective, and what one person finds funny, someone else may find just dumb. So shouldn’t you watch comedies at home by yourself? Actually, I’d argue it’s way more fun to watch it with others. Laughter begets laughter – that’s why so many TV sitcoms still have laugh tracks. While we’ve become pretty attuned to canned laughter on TV shows, hearing real people laughing around you puts you more in the mood to laugh, too. A comedy you’d never like if you watched on your own can be a fun and enjoyable experience when you watch it with a group.
Verdict: Watch it with a group
Drama
When you’re watching a serious drama, nothing is more frustrating than having an emotionally important scene disrupted by someone behind you whispering to their friend or having a coughing fit or giggling for no apparent reason. If the people around you get antsy, you’re going to have to work twice as hard to stay focused on the story and not your surroundings. Additionally, a lot of dramas have people speaking at a low volume, and if you’re in an annoyingly chatty crowd, you may miss key lines. Obviously, “drama” is a very wide category, but for quieter, thoughtful dramas especially, watching with a group doesn’t add much and has the potential to be very distracting.
Verdict: Watch it by yourself
Action/Thriller
Granted, I don’t watch a lot of action/thrillers, but I can tell you I genuinely have way more fun watching with a group of people – especially a vocal group of people. It can be frustrating when the audience responds to the screen during a drama, but it’s fantastic when they do it during a fast-paced action movie or thriller. My favorite is when everyone is absolutely silent during tension-building scenes and then they erupt into cheering or applause when the characters make it out alive. It’s like you and everyone there bond together in rooting for the protagonists, and it’s easy to get swept along for the ride.
Verdict: Watch it with a group
Horror
I am only a mild fan of horror movies, but for some reason I have seen an inordinate amount of them in theaters. While a big screen and a loud sound system can do a lot to pull you into the creepy atmosphere, sitting in a packed theater is just not going to be nearly as effective as watching the same movie home alone by yourself in the middle of the night. All the horror movies that have genuinely scared me were ones I watched by myself in the dark. It’s not quite as easy to get into the right mood sitting in a comfy chair surrounded by people. Certainly not like when you’re all alone watching a scary movie and start hearing noises from the kitchen that might be the fridge
Verdict: Watch it by yourself
Movies You Don’t Think You’ll Like
Sometimes there’s a movie you’re pretty sure you won’t like, but you decide to watch it anyway, for whatever reason. Maybe you’re reviewing it for a blog, or it’s got your favorite actor in it, or a friend have been begging you to see it for forever and you finally give in. Whatever you do, don’t watch this alone. But you don’t necessarily have to watch it in theaters, either. My favorite method for this is gathering a small group of snarky friends and watching it in someone’s home. Generally, one of three things will happen:
- It’ll turn out to be not that bad, you’ll like it, and you’ll have a good time.
- You won’t like it, but the people you’re with do, and watching them be enthusiastic about it will make it slightly more enjoyable than if you’d just watched it on your own.
- You won’t like it, and neither will anyone else, and you’ll all have an awesome time snarking at the movie as it runs, MST3K-style. This is the most likely scenario if you pick your group carefully.
Verdict: Watch it with a small group of snarky friends
Mind-Benders
There are a ton of great mind-benders out there, whether you’re looking at complicated, twisty sci-fi flicks like Primer or artsy, reality-bending films like Mulholland Drive. All mind-bending movies share a similar trait, however: They can be infuriating to watch with the wrong kind of people. Some will constantly ask what just happened, despite the fact that you have no idea either, while others will complain about “why can’t this dumb movie just be a normal movie.” (I’m looking at you, woman sitting behind me at Birdman.) Even a brief dialogue with a chatty friend can make you miss important scenes and leave you more confused than ever about what’s going on. Half the fun of mind-benders is talking them over with someone afterward, so I wouldn’t say watch these entirely alone… but I would say pick your companions carefully, and maybe only one at a time. That way you can both focus on the story and then trade theories and explanations afterward.
Verdict: Watch it with one other person
What do you guys think? What movies are best to watch with others and what movies are best to watch by yourself? Which do you prefer, in general? And feel free to share stories of audience members that improved or detracted from your movie watching!
Nicely done and well considered, Hannah!
I like to watch alone the first time, then if I like it, with someone else later. It’s nice if they end up liking it, and I feel like I’m seeing it anew again.
That is generally what I do as well. I definitely prefer to watch alone, but there have been some movies that I watched and thought, “I bet this is better with a group.” If I can figure out what might be better with a group ahead of time, maybe I can enjoy it as much as possible the first time through!
Don’t watch anything with people who talk during movies. If someone starts, pull out the duct tape. Problem solved! :)
But yeah, I tend to watch things alone that I don’t know much about or if I don’t know whether they’ll be good. If I pick a movie to watch with people, I get stressed about whether or not they’ll like it, and I have a hard time concentrating on the movie. That’s still true to some extent with movies I’ve already seen, but at least then I don’t have to worry about following the movie myself as much.
Yeah, I am very picky about who I watch movies with. This is why I don’t watch a lot of movies in theaters.
You bring up a good point in the idea about worrying about whether other people will like it — I do the exact same thing. That’s yet another thing to factor into the decision to watch alone or with others!
YES. I get way too anxious about whether the other person will like a movie, and can’t process my own feelings about it because I’m so focused on theirs.
Like many people, I hate watching a good movie with talkers — but I also really hate when people will start talking immediately AFTER a movie that I had strong emotional reactions to. I need to sit with it and process and feel for a while, and it’s really jarring and irritating to me to have people immediately saying, “Did you like that part? I thought this. What was going on when –?” It’s especially bad if I had a strong reaction and the other people thought the movie was dumb, or something similar. I’ve learned that if I think I’m going to have Feelings about a movie, there are a very select few people I can safely watch it with. So I usually bow out of group theater excursions.
Ginny, that’s a great point about needing a film to sit for a while before talking about it. I do that, too, and it’s really irritating when people are like “so, what did you think” before the credits are even over. It’s even worse when you have a reputation (as anybody who has a film blog does) as a film buff/critic, because people expect you to have opinions immediately. It doesn’t always work like that!
I think one of the main reasons so many people disliked the Blair Witch Project, which is a great movie and which Ebert quite rightly gave four out of four stars, is that they didn’t watch it alone. I think supernatural and psychological horror must be watched alone or with one other quiet introvert.
I completely agree. I watched Blair Witch Project alone at 3 in the morning, and it was terrifying and awesome.
I agree with everything here except for Horror. While I understand your reasoning, Horror for me falls into the “watch with one other person” category. Even if the person isn’t someone who I can snuggle up to, I enjoy knowing there is someone to talk to briefly and break that terror feeling a bit if it gets too overwhelming.
That makes sense! I don’t scare very easily unless I’m alone, so I prefer to watch all by myself, but having one other person around is a good buffer for when it gets to be too much.
Thanks for writing that article it was a great read and gave me nourishment for thought