Next time you find yourself on a Virgin Atlantic flight, don’t be surprised to see a new rating system onboard warning of the emotional health risks that might result from watching a particular movie.
Toy Story 3, Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It and Reese Witherspoon/Robert Pattinson romance Water for Elephants are among the first films to receive the alerts, which will advise them to keep a box of tissues handy and make ready with the call button if they need a shoulder to cry on.
According to respondents to a survey on the airline’s Facebook page, 41% of men said they had buried themselves in blankets to disguise their tears from other passengers. Women were more likely to pretend they had something in their eye. Overall, a 55% said they had experienced heightened emotions while flying, with travellers from Wolverhampton the most likely to join the “mile high blub club”.
What particularly caught my eye in this story was this:
Observer film writer Jason Solomons, who also works for Virgin, said: “On a flight we’re isolated, leaving loved ones or aching to be reunited with them. We’re nervous, we’re tired, we might have had a drink at a time we usually wouldn’t. You don’t really want to land with mascara running down your cheeks or bloodshot eyes but you can’t help it.”
Has this been your experience? Are you more likely to cry when watching a movie onboard an airplane? Without going into details, in my experience the answer has been yes.
But an “emotional health warning” is not going to stop me from watching a movie that looks interesting…
I watched Marley and Me on a SFO-SYD flight. Good thing the cabin was dark and I had the privacy of First class, because I was a mess at the end of the movie.