The Court of Public Opinion

"Yeah, but how many movies did you make HIM see?"

That's the line that comes out any time I raise even a mild objection to seeing something that Matt is interested in. Mind you, I have zero objection to him seeing the movie, whatever movie, but would prefer that he didn't make me watch a movie that I know full well that I will not enjoy. I try to do the same for him - I try my best not to inflict movies on him if I know that he has zero interest in the movie. Usually though, there's a nice common ground. Take - The Other Boleyn Girl. It's a history movie - we both like history - it has Eric Bana in it, Matt likes Eric Bana. More importantly, he has no objections to seeing it. If he did? He doesn't need to see it.

But in the Court of Public Opinion, I made him go see The Other Boleyn Girl.
Poor, long suffering boy.

Back in 2006, Matt wanted to see a Jet Li movie. I have zero - possibly even negative numbers - interest in seeing a Jet Li movie. Do I care if he sees it? Not at all. Just don't take me with you - take a boy. So we decide to see The Last Kiss. It has Zach Braff - Matt likes Scrubs and Zach Braff. It looks funny. It turns out to be one of the worst movies ever. So for two years, what have I been hearing? "You made him see that awful movie and not the Jet Li movie." In the Court of Public Opinion, I am terrible, horrible, bitchy...because we mutually agreed on a movie and it ended up sucking. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE!!!

Oh, never you mind the movies we've seen this summer:
Iron man (2x)
Hulk
Get Smart
Indiana Jones
Batman

What the Court of Public Opinion remembers is that we saw Made of Honor.

I have some advice for men and women here. Men, if you don't want to see a movie with us, just say so. If we're a woman worth hanging onto, we'll understand. We'll get our girls to go, or we'll see it ourselves. If you decide to go, because you're being nice, really want to see us, or think the movie might be mildly entertaining, you cannot hold it against us.
Ladies, if you don't want to see slash fest testosterone x3, please say so. But don't force him into seeing a movie he has zero interest in.

If ya'll could just be honest with each other, we wouldn't have this problem. Are there some movies that I really would like Matt to see? Yeah, there's a few, but that's because they're some of my favorite movies. But so long as The Court of Public Opinion exists, I'll never be able to, you know why?

Next Olson gathering:
(Matt, with a smile) Freakin .... she made me watch pride and prejudice.
The male crowd launches into a list of testosterone induced movies that he absolutely MUST inflict on me in retaliation, and will remind me every single time that I "made" him watch Pride and Prejudice forever.

I'm tired of being forever in "movie debt". What is the ratio? Something like, for every one not-testosterone movie he watches, I'm supposed to sit through 5 male movies? Oh, and by the way - they don't count if *I* actually wanted to see them too. I wanted to see Iron man. Must be it wasn't male enough. Doesn't count.

I'm sure it's all meant with a wink and a smile. But I'm really, truly, desperately tired of being ragged on about it. The Last Kiss was never meant to be the unforgivable dark stain on my soul. I just wanted to go see a movie with my honey.