Bring Out Yer Coconuts
On Sept. 14, a large theater of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Charlottesville (located at 375 Merchant Walk Square) was filled with a noise like a stampede of horses. This noise did not come from the movie being played; however, instead, it was the product of the packed audience, each of whom had been given a half coconut shell to clap against their table.
This was because that theater was being used for a “movie party,” and the movie in question was the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. During a movie party, the Alamo Drafthouse’s normally strict code of conduct for screenings is suspended, and the audience is encouraged to sing along or quote the movie to their hearts’ content. The theater also gives props to use during the movie. In the case of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, these were inflatable swords to fight your neighbors with and the previously mentioned coconut halves (bought from online supplier Gil the Coconut King) so that the audience could take part in the movie’s recurring gimmick.
In addition to the props for during the movie, Alamo Drafthouse Charlottesville director James Sanford hosted a cow throwing competition for a prize of two free “rain checks” (which were two free tickets). Members of the audience came up to the front of the theater and competed to see who could throw an inflatable cow the farthest. The competition was eventually won by a man who declared himself to be “Sir Not Appearing in This Film,” a character mentioned in the opening of Holy Grail, who indeed never makes an appearance.
After these opening activities, the movie began, and with it the true fun of the movie party. The audience members sang along with the songs, quoted the dialogue in unison, laughed at jokes most of them had probably heard many times before, and, of course, used their coconut shells to simulate the sound of a cavalry charge. It is in this experience that the value of going to a movie party can be found.
Anyone with a Netflix subscription can watch the movie on their own, but the movie party exists so that dozens of fans can watch the movie together, free to express their adoration and to hear that adoration echoed from all around them. The ticket price is a little above average ($15.16) to cover the cost of stocking the theater with props, and the constant noise of the crowd may distract people who have not seen the film before, but, for anyone who has seen the film previously (and certainly for someone who has seen it many times over), it is an excellent environment in which to experience the wonderful absurdity of Holy Grail once again.
