Only in Theaters (2022) User Reviews

This changed me

[BandSAboutMovies · 8/10 · 9 August 2023]

There has been a Laemmle in the movie business since there's been a movie business. Carl Laemmle started Universal Pictures and his nephews Max and Kurt started the Laemmle theater chain.

Decades later, we have this film, the story of a beloved Arthouse Cinema chain in Los Angeles with an astounding legacy. Over four generations, Laemmle's have dedicated themselves to supporting, innovating, and elevating the art of filmmaking. Popularizing independent films, documentary films, and their filmmakers, the Laemmle Theatres' impact on Hollywood and world cinema cannot be overstated. Filmed over 2+ years, Only in Theaters chronicles the Laemmle family, their business, and their determination to survive. But in a changing world, this is also a story about the future of cinema.

Filmed over two years, Only in Theaters is about this family, their business and their determination to survive. Maybe it's about the future of cinema and how we'll see movies in the future. Hopefully, that will be in movie houses. Directed by Raphael Sbarge, this has appearances by Ava DuVernay, Cameron Crowe, Allison Anders and Leonard Maltin.

I really felt for Greg Laemmle in this. He had so much to consider and felt that he was close to solving it before COVID-19. Yet in spite of all he and his theaters have endured, he seems to endure.

I always think about those lucky enough to live in Austin, New York or Los Angeles and the theaters they have to support. The closest theater to us is at least half an hour away. While I consume so many movies a day, it's rare that I actually see them on anything other than a TV or laptop. This movie made me want to change that, even if I have to get away from my comfortable home.

Highly recommended

[summerrain322 · 10/10 · 16 June 2023]

Incredible passion was put into the making of this movie. It gives the inspiring history of the theater chain owned by the Laemmle family. The movie instantly made me care about Laemmle theaters and the family that owned them for over 80 years. It focused on the struggles of Laemmle theaters as well as the struggles of all independent theaters. The film also shows the history of movies and theaters, which I was very interested in and it was a great reminder of how important they are in our culture. They need our support now more than ever. I was in such suspense for this whole movie, hoping that Laemmle theaters would pull through their struggles. This movie was so well done and I highly recommend it.

The message of the documentary is clear: support your local movie theater.

[trinaboice · 9/10 · 27 October 2023]

IN A NUTSHELL: When was the last time you saw a movie in an actual theater? Streaming has changed how people watch movies. The pandemic changed our movie-watching even more.

There has been a Laemmle in the movie business since there's been a movie business. Their beloved Arthouse Cinema chain with an astonishing Hollywood legacy has, for four generations, been dedicated to elevating the art of filmmaking and the filmmakers who make them. Responsible for bringing foreign film to Los Angeles and popularizing countless foreign independent films and their filmmakers, the Laemmle Theatres' impact on Hollywood and world cinema cannot be overstated.

Filmed over 2 1/2 years, Only in Theaters chronicles the Laemmle family business, and their determination to survive. But in a changing world, this is also a story about the future of Cinema.

The documentary was directed by Raphael Sbarge who was nominated for an Emmy for directing "LA Foodways." He explained that he didn't want this to be just another pandemic movie. Instead, he wanted to share a story about a family that wants to continue doing what they love: giving us movies. He said, "The idea that a family would have a personal mission of wanting to support artists, in a world which is so corporate and so big-fish-eating-small fish, so impersonal...there was something really remarkable and unique about that."

THINGS I LIKED: The film features interviews with Ava DuVernay, Cameron Crowe, James Ivory, and Nicole Holofcener, among others. Many of them talk about the magic of movies and the power they have to change lives. Watching a movie in a theater filled with strangers can be absolutely transforming as everyone laughs or cries together, reacting to what's happening on the screen. And that movie popcorn is amazing. Because I love movies so much, I wanted to watch this documentary and learn more about the people that had a hand in shaping Hollywood.

I loved the memory shared by Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Bruce Joel Rubin. He remembers the moment when he graduated from loving movies to loving cinema. He explained, "One was appealing to my sense of escapism and one was talking to my psyche." It was heartbreaking to watch the financial hit that the Laemmle theater took during the pandemic when the lockdown shut down all theaters in the world.

It's fun to meet various members of the Laemmle family and watch how they have supported one another and the movie-making industry.

It was nice hearing people talk about the impact that the Laemmle theaters had on their lives, particularly about movies.

How wonderful to learn about a family that played such a big role in bringing small, unknown films to the Big Screen, especially foreign films. Not every movie is going to be a Hollywood blockbuster, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve to be seen.

The message of the documentary is clear: support your local movie theater.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: It would have been fun to hear them talk about what happened when they had huge movie premieres or met celebrities or even look at the funny blunders that happen when running a movie theater.

At times, the film felt like an infomercial to promote the Laemmle's arthouse theaters in order to keep them open.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored.

There is a lot of talk of running a business and the challenges to make it be financially successful.

No profanity.

There is some talk about some of the small arthouse cinemas changing their course to feature porn films. While talking, we see shots of clothed women's cleavage, but nothing scandalous.

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A movie to fall in love with for those that have fallen in love with movie

[kendallartists · 10/10 · 27 July 2023]

Such an incredible story of family and tradition and the appreciate for the craft of movies. It's a celebration of the creativity and cultural fixtures like the Laemmle theater and the passing down of a passion for independent and foreign films and classics. Raphael Sbarge found a gem in this documentary and it rekindles the inner passion and love for true creativity and this family that dedicated generations to their theaters. At a time where streaming services have all but stopped many people from going to the theater, this movie documents the life of a movie and a movie theater and the impact it has on a family as well as a community. Truly worth the watch and it reminds you of what theaters can mean to the movie experience that a TV or tablet will never do. Fabulous experience to watch!