Back on up. It's senior day at the cinema
It was the only one showing early enough to fit our criteria of "a movie at the Blackstone Showcase then coffee-and at Panera’s before parting ways at 4 p.m."
The Four Old Guys (FOG) arrived at the theater 10 minutes early for the noon showing of “80 for Brady” on Wednesday. There were 38 people, mostly senior citizens, already in line for tickets.
This was the most people I’ve ever seen in line for an early movie at the Blackstone Showcase. The previous week, we saw “Knock at the Cabin” with five other film buffs. Many times, during the pandemic, the FOG was the only audience for a matinee flick. The manager would thank us for attending!
The line to buy tickets for “80 for Brady” had ground to a halt. Two senior women were holding court with the young ticket attendant like he was their long-lost son. We were going to miss the goddamn coming attractions!
Craig, our youngest member at 67, sprang into action. He fired up one of the self-serve machines and, three tries later, we had our tickets with the senior discount and a coupon for a small popcorn and soda for $4.50.
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Thanks goodness, we always sit in the fourth row in front of the big screen (I could see the hairy mole on Stallone’s cheek in ‘"Rambo-Last Blood") because the theater was at least 86% filled by the time we sat down.
The older crowd chatted loudly through all the coming attractions, even "Spider-Verse 2"! It reminded me of the rabble that greeted my mom every time I dropped her off for lunch at the McDonald’s on Grafton Street when she lived with us.
Thankfully, the mob hushed once “80 for Brady” began. It was an endearing, sweet, fluffy 98 minutes with four terrific actresses playing off each other to the crowd’s delight. It also had some awesome football scenes, Guy Fieri and Billy Porter!
The FOG waited a beat and watched the credits roll while the other elderly patrons dispersed. We always like to see how many of the people involved in the picture have our first names. "Dennis" always wins.
All the men’s rooms were standing room only so we agreed to tighten our bladders and drive up to Panera’s.
I got my usual small coffee in a mug and toasted cinnamon-crunch bagel with butter, then found a four-seat table by the fake fireplace.
The FOG agreed that we had certainly seen worst movies like “Infinity Pool “a couple of weeks earlier, and that older people will go out of their way to see a feel-good flick with familiar faces. Then we talked about our medical issues and Chinese balloons before signing off around 4 p.m.
Just another day at the movies!
Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist living in Worcester. He hosts the Poetry Extravaganza at Redemption Rock Brewing in Worcester.