Kids watching the same movie over and over? How do you cope?

Deb’s kids love to re-watch movies and shows that they have already seen. They don’t care that there are thousands of titles available on Netflix; all they want to watch is the same movies over and over. Right now, they’re obsessed with the Trolls movie on Netflix.

Science has proven the reason for this is that toddlers love repetition and being able to predict what is about to happen. They also seem to learn and acquire new skills by viewing the same thing time and time again. Furthermore, they aren’t getting quite as much out of the movie as you in a single viewing; whereas you may comprehend the premise and be able to recite back the plot after just one viewing, it may take a child ten times as long to wrap their heads around what just happened.

Simply put, the kids’ cries to watch Trolls ain’t going away for a few months, and Deb is probably going to have to learn to love, appreciate, or at least tolerate the movie herself.

How can you give in and learn to appreciate or tolerate your kids’ annoying choice of movie?

So, as an adult who is not only allowing young children to watch TV but also choose their own programming within reason, what can Deb do to keep her sanity? Because let’s face it, she’s going to be watching the movie too, or at the very least hearing the sound in the background.

• Remember that adults made the movie. While it was intended for kids, every last person aside from maybe a few voice actors involved in the production were adults and they probably spent a couple years of their lives making this film. If you hate watching it, just remember that this movie consumed every aspect of hundreds of adults’ lives for a long period of time.
• Research the movie on Wikipedia and IMDB and attempt to learn about the production, actors, awards, critical reception, goofs, and other trivia. You can tell people “wow, Dreamworks actually acquired the global rights to the entire Trolls franchise except for Scandinavia!”
• See how the movie rates on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only do a lot of kids’ movies have ratings, but it’s not uncommon to see good ratings. Knowing that 63% of reviewers liked this movie in question may make you subconsciously like it more. Likewise, see what awards it may have won and realize that someone out there with a say in awards recognized this as being outstanding in some area.
• Attempt to memorize the entire movie word-for-word. Dazzle your friends, or even compete in an office talent show by reciting as many lines from the movie as possible.
• If you really hate the movie, ask yourself if you truly could make something better. If you think you could, give it a shot and write a script! Just about every inanimate object has now been given anthropomorphic properties and turned into a children’s crime-fighting/day-saving show in recent years. Once you inevitably realize you couldn’t do better, it might make you feel slightly better about the movie.
• Find plot holes, extremely unrealistic or implausible scenarios, or other abnormalities and vent about them on social media. “So like, when and where is Trolls supposed to be based? Because they clearly know all the most current popular music, yet they seem to have no connection to the outside world. Are they passing these songs off as their own? And where is the background music coming from?”
• Look for something new every time. Really force yourself. “Oh, huh… I guess I never put it together that Poppy is supposed to be like twenty years old now and is presumably on the verge of being sexually active. I had been thinking of her as some kid troll.”
• Is there anything you can take away from this experience as a positive, like a particular song or an appreciation for the animation? Focus on those things!
• Remember that it is keeping your child entertained and satisfied for a decent amount of time. This movie may not be your cup of tea, but if he weren’t watching Trolls he might be throwing forks at the dog and screaming.
• Try watching any bonus features or content if you have the physical DVD or Blu-ray Disc. You may find something interesting that can make you appreciate the film.

Eventually, your child will grow tired of the movie in question and you’ll be free of it. If you followed the tips above to a T, it may be you who goes back and rewatches after the kids go to bed!

My Hot Take
My 3-year-old fell in love with that Trolls movie mentioned above. At first, I really didn’t get the appeal. The songs weren’t original and the story seemed flawed. But after the tenth or so time seeing it, I began to appreciate it a little more. Once I realized who all the voice actors were and the huge box office numbers and decent critical reception, I declared it to be an OK movie to occasionally sit through.

tl;dr
If your kid wants to watch the same movie over and over, you’ll have to find a way to sit through it and not lose your mind.

Kids Movies That Don’t Completely Suck