Ryan Gosling acknowledges the phone wars in the movies in the Fall Guy intro

If you’ve been to movie theaters frequently in the post-quarantine years, you’ve probably seen a certain type of pre-show message where a star appears on screen to thank the audience for seeing their film that way , as it sees it wanted to see it: on the big screen. (The funniest case for me was when a pre-recorded Margot Robbie thanked me for watching her new film Babylon with an audience in a crowded theater. There were three other people there.) The new action comedy The Guy case opens with one of those bumpers, in which star Ryan Gosling and director David Leitch joke about how they got you – yeah You – thought of this when they made the film and that they hope you like it. It’s sweet, it’s serious, and it’s designed to get you excited for the blockbuster you’re about to see.

Except Gosling undermines the entire theatrical experience by telling the audience that it is Really If someone needs to use their phone during the movie, that’s fine – they should just try to protect it in their jacket while texting or posting. NO! NO!!

Gosling gives in to one of the great battles of our time: the war over cinematic etiquette. Appeasement doesn’t work when you’re dealing with monsters! We can’t give an inch to the class that uses phones in the cinema, otherwise they’ll take all the trouble and bathe us all in their horrible, disturbing and distracting glory!

It’s not hard to see where Gosling is coming from when it comes to this tactical retreat in cinema’s great “War on Phones.” Not only is it charming, but it is also realistic and hits home with modern theater audiences where they increasingly live. Movie theaters have a hard time attracting viewers because many people assume that they can just wait a few months and then watch a particular film on streaming from the comfort of their couch, phone in hand. When viewers who are used to interacting with a second screen at home go to the movies, they often seem to see nothing wrong with pulling out their phone to answer a quick text message, check the time, or even part of a movie to record for a well-timed TikTok.

Eight years ago, theater chain AMC was on the verge of sanctioning cell phone use during its performances, but fortunately decided against it. Phone use in movie theaters has become an even thornier issue since the pandemic, one that cinema purists (like me, hello) are taking issue with Barbarians People who want to watch films the way they’re used to at home.

See it as inevitable considering people will be using their phones in a movie theater like Gosling does The Guy caseGiven the pre-show bumper, it makes sense to require them to at least be discreet when using their phones, rather than just sticking a bright rectangle of light out in the open.

And every now and then I will put up with having done the secret phone check under the covers of my jacket and feel the right amount of shame about that behavior. (My phone is obviously in silent mode.) Real life happens – even in a place where Somehow, heartbreak feels good. I get it!

But there’s a big difference between the occasional “Is there an emergency?” check and pulling out your phone to scroll through Facebook or post pictures of the screen on Instagram while watching a movie in a crowded theater, that everyone paid for. It should be common sense when you must If you’re using your phone in a theater, be as inconspicuous as possible – or even leave your seat and step out for a second if there’s a real emergency you need to respond to before the credits roll.

But Leitch and Gosling’s take on the usual “put your phones away” PSA turns this common-sense exception into the new rule. AMC, Regal and all the major chains have pre-show PSAs telling moviegoers about it not using their phones during a movie. (Alamo Drafthouse Fortunately, it remains pretty stubborn.) But when the audience sees The Guy casethis message is played alongside the film’s A-star, who contradicts it and says It’s actually okay to pull out your phone during a movie, just be cool about it.

I would love it if everyone was cool. But we as a society increasingly lack the ability to be cool with other people. We on Team Cinema-Respecters are doing everything in our power to hold the line, and Gosling is moving the goalposts. What’s next? “If you have to take a photo, do you remember to turn off the flash?” “If you have to FaceTime during the movie, do you point your camera forward so your friend can see the movie too?” It’s a slippery slope.

I realize that the fight against open, casual phone use in movie theaters is probably a losing battle. But I ask you to ignore Ryan Gosling – at least for Ryan Gosling’s sake. He’s great at it The Guy case, and he and the stunt team worked really hard on it. If you go to the theater to see it The Guy casePay attention to the film and let the other people around you do the same.

Perhaps it is important to remember that celebrities who took five minutes to record a friendly message to moviegoers are, in most cases, not sitting in those cinema halls themselves. Margot Robbie had no way of knowing that I was one of the few people who would see me Babylon. (It’s a shame, because it’s a masterpiece.) And Ryan Gosling probably won’t be in a matinee screening addressing the cell phone light pollution he tacitly promotes. Until he sits next to us in the theater and suffers from all the distractions that he just said were basically fine, I don’t think we should heed his advice on this matter.

And if he Is If he’s sitting next to us in the theater, he shouldn’t be on the phone.