'Some Like It Hot' lives up to its name

UPDATED: "Some Like It Hot" closes Thursday, not next week as previously noted. Appears Chris Jay and I got our chatter crossed.

I just chatted with Chris Jay at the Robinson Film Center. He was fielding a packed house for their monthly Silver Screenings program. It's a senior-citizens screening and luncheon, and this month they attended "Some Like It Hot."

Jay was a tad shocked, but elated, that the turnout was so strong for the Billy Wilder film. He expected decent box-office receipts this weekend but not as good as they got.

"It's been one our best movies yet!" he said. Why was he shocked? He said it plays three times per week on cable. (Somebody's got a TiVo fixation, I take it.)

I think Jay would agree that the customary water-cooler chatter about the death of the movie theater has always been a cry-wolf complaint. "Why would anyone go to a movie they can get on Netflix or see on cable?"

Please. A lot of people would have never seen the "Some Like It Hots" if it weren't for things like Turner Classic Movies, Netflix and DVDs. As our home entertainment options have proliferated, so too have our tastes and demands. Just because we studied Marilyn Monroe through Netflix doesn't mean we'll skip her when she's on the big screen. In truth, I think the opposite could be true.

Moreover, most of us want to experience entertainment with a crowd. We can't replicate the theater experience, or the true power of laughter, without strangers.

"Some Like It Hot" runs through Thursday.