Did Somebody Say...PENGUINS?

Read it and weep, suckahs! After being increased to nearly 1900 screens (still among the lowest number of screens for the top 10 films), "March of the Penguins" has climbed to number SIX in total box office sales for last week.

While on my Wisconsin trip this weekend (posts & stories later today) I found myself with some time to kill. Naturally the choices came down to my old standards...strip clubs or "March of the Penguins". LOL!

I decided to save a few bucks and see the film again as opposed to shoving bills into Bambi's g-string (Bambi is a skank anyway!). I know I'm penguin-obsessed, but that film just has a fine soothing effect on me and I'm always happy during and after a viewing so why not see it one more time?



This time I made a most interesting observation about the film. At all screenings there have been families with young children in the theatre. As you know, I really dislike kids in general and you can imagine how much I hate obnoxious brats in a movie theatre. Every time I've gone into the theatre and seen the kids I was worried that the film would be interrupted by impatient, noisy monsters that had attention spans too short for anything other than a quick game of Grand Theft Auto. Instead I found quite the opposite.

In fact at every screening, the kids (of varied ages) were the picture of good behavior. They laughed at the appropriate times, were scared at the right moments, and most importantly, they watched the film and LEARNED something valuable. There was no unnecessary chatter from the little tykes and if they did have any questions or comments, they were very polite and quietly whispered their comments to their parents. In short, they were the perfect movie patrons.

So when you are considering if a documentary about the mating ritual of the Emperor Penguin in Antarctica is "worth it" for whatever reason or another, remember that we live in a world where most parents complain about a dearth of wholesome, valuable, and educational entertainment options. "March of the Penguins" has proven to me that there is at least one film that is all of those things AND it is certainly enjoyable and appropriate for the entire family. Adults will not be subjected to lame Disney songs and unintelligent dialogue designed to talk down to the kids that are watching. Beauty and knowledge are expertly presented in 85 minutes of cinematic splendor. You as well as your kids will have a great time watching this movie, as a family.