IN A NUTSHELL:
When was the last time you saw a movie in an actual theater? Streaming has changed how people watch movies. The pandemic changed our movie-watching even more.
There has been a Laemmle in the movie business since there's been a movie business. Their beloved Arthouse Cinema chain with an astonishing Hollywood legacy has, for four generations, been dedicated to elevating the art of filmmaking and the filmmakers who make them. Responsible for bringing foreign film to Los Angeles and popularizing countless foreign independent films and their filmmakers, the Laemmle Theatres' impact on Hollywood and world cinema cannot be overstated.
Filmed over 2 1/2 years, Only in Theaters chronicles the Laemmle family business, and their determination to survive. But in a changing world, this is also a story about the future of Cinema.
The documentary was directed by Raphael Sbarge who was nominated for an Emmy for directing "LA Foodways." He explained that he didn't want this to be just another pandemic movie. Instead, he wanted to share a story about a family that wants to continue doing what they love: giving us movies. He said, "The idea that a family would have a personal mission of wanting to support artists, in a world which is so corporate and so big-fish-eating-small fish, so impersonal...there was something really remarkable and unique about that."
THINGS I LIKED:
The film features interviews with Ava DuVernay, Cameron Crowe, James Ivory, and Nicole Holofcener, among others. Many of them talk about the magic of movies and the power they have to change lives. Watching a movie in a theater filled with strangers can be absolutely transforming as everyone laughs or cries together, reacting to what's happening on the screen. And that movie popcorn is amazing. Because I love movies so much, I wanted to watch this documentary and learn more about the people that had a hand in shaping Hollywood.
I loved the memory shared by Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Bruce Joel Rubin. He remembers the moment when he graduated from loving movies to loving cinema. He explained, "One was appealing to my sense of escapism and one was talking to my psyche."
It was heartbreaking to watch the financial hit that the Laemmle theater took during the pandemic when the lockdown shut down all theaters in the world.
It's fun to meet various members of the Laemmle family and watch how they have supported one another and the movie-making industry.
It was nice hearing people talk about the impact that the Laemmle theaters had on their lives, particularly about movies.
How wonderful to learn about a family that played such a big role in bringing small, unknown films to the Big Screen, especially foreign films. Not every movie is going to be a Hollywood blockbuster, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve to be seen.
The message of the documentary is clear: support your local movie theater.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
It would have been fun to hear them talk about what happened when they had huge movie premieres or met celebrities or even look at the funny blunders that happen when running a movie theater.
At times, the film felt like an infomercial to promote the Laemmle's arthouse theaters in order to keep them open.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Kids will be bored.
There is a lot of talk of running a business and the challenges to make it be financially successful.
No profanity.
There is some talk about some of the small arthouse cinemas changing their course to feature porn films. While talking, we see shots of clothed women's cleavage, but nothing scandalous.
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