OK, now I’m pissed. They’ve messed with my movies and I don’t like it. We went to the movies tonight seeking a little comic relief from the past two days of hell. Borat is here and sounds like just the ticket.

We drive to Cinemark at the Multiplaza. As I’m heading to the ticket window, Ryan leans in to me and whispers that he and Mo are both 18. I don’t understand this… Mo and he are with their parents. What difference could it make? I wave him off because I’m 51 and I know so much more than him. At the window, I say "Cuatro para Borat, por favor."

She asks if everyone is over 18. I say no. She says, "Todas las personas necesitan 18 años."  So… EVERYONE who sees Borat needs to be 18, even when they are with the ‘rents? WTF?

There are age limits listed on all the movies but I have always assumed this is for kids alone. That, like in the states, when the ‘rents are along, they can see what we see. We are, after all, the ‘RENTS for God’s sake. Not the case at Cinemark. I don’t know if this is Costa Rica-wide or a company policy.

When you look here, under each movie title, you see "MAYORES DE 15 A" (at least 15 years old). So you can’t see Little Miss Sunshine unless you are 12, no matter who you are with. Of the ten movies showing, only two are available to kids under 12. That’s so sad.

But back to us. There is no other movie starting within the hour. We go home… Not one to let go and let God that easily, I went to the Cinemark website and sent this letter:

"Disculpe, mi español es muy mal. Vivimos en Escazú, Costa Rica. ¿Por qué mis hijos no pueden ver una pelicula (Borat) con sus padres? Mis hijos tienen catorce y quince años, y mi esposo y yo aprobamos la pelicula. Mi esposo y yo fuimos a la pelicula con mis hijos, pero los empleados no admiten porque todas las personas necesitan 18 años para ver Borat. ¿Cinemark conoce más de los padres? No es bueno. ¿Por favor, quién decide esta política?

Muchas gracias para su consideración."

Which translates to (I hope):

"Excuse me, my Spanish is very bad. We live in Escazú, Costa Rica. Why are my sons not allowed to see Borat with their parents? My sons are 14 and 15 and my husband and I approve this movie. My husband and I went to the movie with my sons, but the employees would not let us in because everyone has to be 18 to see Borat. Cinemark knows more than the parents? This is not good. Please, who decides this policy? Thank you very much for your consideration."

If they actually write back, I’m in trouble, since my Español es muy mal. I’m probably in trouble now anyway. I hope they don’t ask me to leave the country. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut? And why don’t people ask me before they make policy? Honestly.