Compromising...

We rarely go to the movie theater. My husband doesn't care for the discomfort of such narrow seats. I feel the temperatures are either too cold or too warm, and the sound level  is far too harsh for my ears. So, it's a mutual decision that we don't go.

We used to rely on video rentals. Now it's dvds that we get from my son in law or movies that show on the TV in the comfort of our living room. We are able to pause them for a run to the necessary room or a snack from the kitchen. The seats and temperature are 'just right' and the volume can be adjusted. We're happy in our version of a 'home theater.'

We have never cared whether we see the movie when it's brand new, so the fact that we have to wait a bit doesn't cause us much concern. Sometimes though, we find that we've missed seeing something we'd looked forward to seeing, because we don't write a list.  If we did so, we could get the film from my son in law, who has a huge collection that grows routinely.

The basic problem with this arrangement is that we often disagree on the type of movie to watch, as is probably the case with most couples. I'm not fond of violence and war movies, unless it's a historical type of thing. He's not crazy about watching what he calls 'chick flicks' , but usually likes them in the end, especially if there's another story line woven through a love story, or a lot of comedy added.

As for me, my favorites are 'Cold Mountain', which I've seen many times over, 'Summersby' which is another Civil War era flick.  I also like 'Bridges of Madison County'  and 'The Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood.'  I always enjoy books by Nicholas Sparks and John Grisham when they are made into movies, even thought the films vary a bit from the books. We both enjoy watching anything with Julia Roberts, Shirley McLain, Sandra Bullock or James Garner. We also usually can agree on suspense and intrigue, so we watch what we agree on together, and find another time to watch our individual choices. 

The compromise works pretty well in this house! How about yours?