Prohibition Over at B.C.’s Single-Screen Cinemas

Approved Liquor Licence at BC Cinemas | BCBusiness
That’s the spirit: The Rio Theatre’s application to serve liquor at movie screenings was approved by the provincial government.

B.C. crawls slowly out from under its Prohibition hangover.

When I heard that liquor service in movie theatres would be made legal in B.C., I was shocked. I had no idea those guys knocking back whiskey at that Clint Eastwood movie last year were breaking the law, and at the time I certainly didn’t want to broach the subject with them. Legal debates in a theatre are so impolite.

The Rio Theatre at Broadway and Commercial broke new ground this spring when its application to serve liquor at movie screenings was approved by the provincial government. Along with the federal Bill C-311, which allows wine to be transported interprovincially, these moves have been hailed, by some, as an indication of B.C. belatedly moving out of its Prohibition mentality. We’re growing up, the thinking goes.

I guess so. As a non-drinker, I am naturally conflicted. I suppose it will be a nice change to get my shoes stuck in a wider variety of spilled beverages. The texture and aroma of floor Pepsi just don’t go well with a sophisticated foreign film – a nice floor Burgundy or Beaujolais might be an improvement.

The idea of bringing movies into line with art forms like opera and theatre is certainly an attractive one, and does seem long overdue. A glass of vino with your Fellini – bellissima. Of course, the idea of enjoying a pleasant drink on a trans-Atlantic flight seems civilized as well, until the moment when three passengers are sitting on the chest of a drunken lunatic and the flight attendant is nursing a broken nose as the plane diverts to Gander, Newfoundland. I just hope we’re ready.

Thus far, liquor licensing will be restricted to single-screen cinemas rather than the big multiplexes, but that may change eventually. Now that the barrier has been breached, mixing booze and movies could become commonplace. I look forward to the day when 15-year-olds will be pulling out fake IDs at Transformers movies, trying in vain to order a Moosehead Slushy.

There are films that will benefit from the addition of intoxicants – Adam Sandler movies might be more tolerable when drunk. And it seems inevitable that, given a chance, some savvy marketer will be eager to serve goblets brimming with something dark and crimson at every Twilight flick. A repertory theatre showing Barfly could stock the concession with Aqua Velva and bottles of cooking sherry. Passing out in your own vomit at a screening of Leaving Las Vegas would be just like dressing as a nun at a sing-along Sound of Music.

There’s no reason to stop at liquor. Considering the amount of cocaine consumed by Hollywood movie people over the years, it’s only right to make that available too. It even makes sense artistically. Over the years, insider accounts have described numerous movie productions that went wildly out of control thanks to the grandiose, drug-fuelled visions of their directors. When trying to understand a movie like that, the drug could function like a pair of 3D glasses – suddenly the director’s vision might become clear.

It’s nice to think we’re a civilized society that behaves accordingly, but most Canadians don’t grow up with the same attitude toward alcohol that is common in some other cultures, notably in Europe. Vancouver of all places ought to know that mixing booze and spectacle can turn out badly.

Still, of all the entertainment venues that might serve liquor, movie theatres do seem among the best option. After all, there are no commercial breaks or intermissions to go out for refills. There are no losers, unless you’re a particularly rabid “Twi-hard” member of Team Jacob. And, most importantly, there are no referees.