My son’s preschool ends this week, but his day camp doesn’t start for another two weeks, and as school actually finishes today instead of Friday, this really works out to be two and a half weeks. Schools all over the country are already finished.

Summer has unofficially begun and I would like to take my son to the movies on Friday, unfortunately I can’t, there’s no movie playing at any multiplex in the area that is remotely appropriate. To me, that’s upsetting.

I am of two minds about this. First, as just stated, I’m disappointed and frustrated because there’s nothing out there we can go to together. The other side of it is where I stand on it from a logical point of view and is best stated as follows – hey, it’s a business, they know what they’re doing, and even if they don’t it’s their choice.

I can lament. I do lament, but it’s not my choice to make.

“Inside Out” hits in a week, and “Minions” will be in theaters a few weeks after that. It isn’t that there is no content for my son this summer, it’s just that there is no content for him now and there won’t be until the 20th.

Studios and distributors have absolutely no responsibility to make sure that there is something in the theaters for all age groups at all times. They have history and extrapolations and math and marketing and bits & bobs of data to look out to know that “Inside Out” should release when it’s releasing and not a week earlier, but man my life would be better if it was coming out a week earlier. I imagine my son will see it at least once, and maybe twice, that second week off, but next week is looking rather empty.

I shudder to think about what it would be like if his school had finished last week or the week before. You may say that I only have to worry about this one week, but I ask you, what was the last movie I could have taken my son to see? “Home” back in March? The issue is raised now for me because school is over, but the dearth of age appropriate movies already existed.

Certainly some of this is a problem of my own making – I love showing my kids movies. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have this problem. My daughter and I spent about a month working our way through Marvel’s Phase One and Phase Two together so she could see “Ultron” in theaters, and we both enjoyed every moment – she loved the scope and scale and fantasy of it all, while I loved her exploring that larger world. I want to do the same with my son, but four is rather too young to see “Ultron” or “Jurassic World” or “San Andreas.”

So, next we’ll wait it out. We’ll hit the zoo or mini-golf or some other age appropriate, weather appropriate, sort of thing next week. But man, do I want to be able to take him to the movies and I am  terribly excited for “Inside Out.”

Photo Credit:  Disney/Pixar

Categories: Random Thoughts

Tags: Inside Out