How to Run a Movie Night for Several Years without Stopping

Almost every Wednesday night, my partner and I get on a video call with a group of friends. We catch up for a couple of minutes and then initiate a countdown from ten. When we hit zero, everyone presses play on the night’s selected movie and hangs up. We then proceed to roast or praise (or both) the movie on a group chat during the viewing. We call this “movie night.” It seems pretty unremarkable, until I realize we’ve been doing it consistently for years. It was definitely a highlight of my week during the dark days of lockdown, and now it feels like a welcome mid-week routine.

Each member of the group takes a turn selecting the film. Their selection is, more or less, the final word. Our group tends toward the schlocky, low-budget horror films of the 80’s, but surprises often occur. Whoever’s turn it is, they get to dictate what we watch. That makes things interesting: every Wednesday, I am going to sit through a film that I would probably not pick on my own, and I can’t bail. I can’t stop watching it, no matter how bad it is or how much I’d rather watch or do something else. Wednesday Movie Nights have exposed me to a lot of different films and genres, and also, on occasion, forced me to sit through what I would normally consider unbearably conventional movies.

So, how did we pull this off? In our case, it’s been mostly unintentional, but a few ground-rules have kept the crew together:

1. Set expectations about what is and isn’t in bounds. For some people, horror doesn’t fly. For others (like our group), it’s the baseline.
2. Agree on what streaming platforms you all maintain. We’ve had different people drop different services at different times for different reasons. That’s fine. Inform the group that you no longer subscribe to a service, and that should be respected. You can’t expect everyone to maintain 6+ subscriptions. And, here’s a hint: Tubi is a goldmine of weird content and it’s absolutely free.
3. When it’s your turn, you get to choose and that’s that. (Now, obviously, you shouldn’t be cruel or inconsiderate, and you should respect the expectations of the group.)
4. When it’s someone else’s turn, they get to choose and that’s that.
5. Attendance isn’t mandatory. This, I think, is key to longevity. This shouldn’t be a chore. If you can’t make it, then skip. We set a minimum attendance of three people. If three or more can make it, movie night is on. If not, we pick it up next week.

That’ really all there is to it. Tonight’s my pick, and I’ll probably write it up tomorrow. You can generally expect posts on Thursdays with a brief reaction to the previous night’s pick.