MLL #27 Go to a Drive-In Movie

When I think of a drive-in movie my mind automatically jumps to ‘Grease’. I think of dark nights, large bright screens, lined up cars, couples making out, popcorn and John Travolta in tight jeans. But just like poodle skirts, I thought drive-in movies had gone out with the seventies. But I added “Go to a Drive-in Movie” to my life list anyway. I thought there was something very romantic about them. And I was right. During the summer of 2008 my boyfriend invited me to come out to a drive-in movie with his family one Friday night. I didn’t know there were any drive-in movies in Philly, and there aren’t. This one was in Jersey. “What time does the movie start?” I asked, and they answered simply, “When the sun sets.” I remember sitting in the backseat of the SUV with my boyfriend, his little brother and three little sisters, his parents in the front. I recognized the route as the same one my best friend and I take to the shore. The movie was not near the shore but I swore I could smell salt water in the air.

When we arrived cars were lined up to pay. Once we paid and drove inside the sandlot area I saw cars lined up spaciously in front of a large white screen, just like in the movies. We found a spot we liked and unpacked the car. We had chairs and blankets and sandwiches. Unlike the movies, no one sat inside their cars, everyone laid out next to their cars on blankets or in fold out chairs. At the concession stand my boyfriend bought me some chocolate covered pineapples, which I immediately swapped for popcorn after just one taste.

Soon, the sun had set and the big white screen came to life. It was a double feature. The first film would be ‘Hancock’ which had just come out that day, followed by ‘Don’t Mess With the Zohan’. As I laid back in my boyfriend’s arms I noticed that it was a clear night and the stars were watching with us. I fell asleep during ‘Zohan’. No, I didn’t see Danny Zucco wailing dramatically, or Rizzo stomping pass our car, but it was still very magical. Trust me, there’s nothing like seeing a movie under the stars.