About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
One of the best parts of starting to date a new man is the power I realize I have. Now, I’m not talking about holding out for sex, or having someone pick up the tab for those first few dinner dates. Oh, no, I’m talking about getting to pick the movie. That’s right. To me, getting to pick the movie = power!
I love movies and if you’ve gone to the movies with me, you’ll know that I have the worst taste when it comes to picking movies. Not even my best girlfriends will let me pick the movies anymore.
The problem (for others) is that I like ALL type of movies. Also, I never read movie reviews. If I like the sound of the plot of a movie, or like the trailer, then I’ll want to see it. Which is why many times, the people I go to movies with end up saying, “You’re never choosing the movie again.” And I’m left stuck saying, “Well, it wasn’t that bad. It’s about the experience!”
However, when you start to date a new man, I realize you get to choose the movie. Yippee! So I will be seeing Hot Tub Time Machine on a date, a movie I’ve really wanted to see, but couldn’t drag any of my girlfriends too. (I am so not pretentious when it comes to movies. Bring on 2012! Bring on Valentine’s Day! Bring on Couple’s Retreat! The stupider the movie, the more likely I am to love it.)
And if you’re a gentleman, going on a date, you’re not going to be like, “No, I don’t want to see that,” when a gal you barely know suggests a movie. You’re just going to go along for the ride. See how much power we have in the early stages of dating?
In fact, if a man I didn’t know said to me, after I suggested a movie, “Nah, that looks bad,” I probably wouldn’t go out with him. At all. You love me, you love bad movies. I am who I am. And I am a woman who loves bad movies.
When I’m in the theatre, I like to check out the audience. I’ve never laughed so hard when I dragged a girlfriend to see Valentine’s Day and the audience seemed filled with couples. The women looked happy. The men did not.
I notice this a lot. In any case, if I ever do settle down, I wonder if my power in getting to pick the movies will last. Married women, speak up! Do you still get to pick the movies? Or should I enjoy this stage of dating where picking the movie = power?
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