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Not that she minds.
Alice and Bob go to the theater, and there, thanks to the dark...
- Version A: The feeling is reciprocal already, so the two start grabbing hands. Especially in front of a romantic movie.
- Version B: Bob (because the one doing the first step is Always Male) makes an attempt to lay his hand on Alice's hand/put his arm around her shoulders. She can protest loudly (slap him sometimes) and even go back home suddenly, or let him do while blushing. Romantic movies help that too.
- Version C: Thanks to Bob's shyness, hands contact was totally accidental, as both reach for popcorn for instance. It fits especially with couples who think they are Like Brother and Sister.
If Bob has pervert's instincts he may try bosom or knee instead. And if Alice likes it, it can go further with a kiss or even more.
Compare with Girls Are Really Scared of Horror Movies: That choice of movies is when the male character would rather have the girl thrown in his arms.
Probably a Undead Horse Trope: Seen It a Million Times but often subverted:
- Bob grabs the wrong hand. (Add bonus points if it's a big, badass guy. Extra points if he seems to like it.)
- The lights went on before he has the time to do it.
- Friends came with, and start to mock them, as Moment Killer.
- The popcorn/coke glass is suddenly spilled to kill the attempt. When it's coke, Alice frequently quits to go to the restroom (and not come back before the end of movie) while Bob is thinking "What an Idiot!!" (especially if his clumsiness ruined Alice's favorite clothes).
- Bob makes a mistake and grabs his Abhorrent Admirer instead.
- He watches the Romantic False Lead embrace Alice. Those two things can overlap to add tension, or in the contrary lead to Pair the Spares.
- It can be Alice's point of view, and she can discover that it's somebody else (the big guy for instance, or a serial murderer like in Scream 2) that is embracing her.
- Sometimes at the beginning of scenes, arguments can happen for who gets to sit next to Alice (if she came with more than one boy)
Overlap with Unresolved Sexual Tension and Will They or Won't They?. Often a first step in a Relationship Upgrade. Sister trope to Yawn and Reach, except that for reach the excuse Pass the Popcorn is more used in theaters. A variant can happen in front of a TV, just like in this Bra/Goten fanart.
Examples of Hands Play in Theater include:
Type A[]
Live Action TV[]
- DJ and her boyfriend in Full House, except an employee comes and breaks their kissing moment.
Western Animation[]
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender, there's no cinema due to the low technology civilisation, but there's regular theaters, in "The Ember Island Players". Sokka has his arm around Suki most of the time, but they were a Official Couple already.
Real Life[]
- Photographer Man ray tells in a biography his first date with model Kiki in a theater: "I was searching for Kiki's hand in the dark."
- Countless actual dates in cinemas and theatres the world over for as long as there have been such places have involved handsplay.
Type B[]
Advertising[]
- A brutal subversion in that Rolo ad as the girl is attacked.
- Averted with this one: there's a mistake on the owner's hand
Anime and Manga[]
- Ranma ½: When Ranma has to be pretend to be in love with Kuno (long story), this trope gets lampshaded.
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Kuno: But, my love, holding hands in a theater will be the proof of our love! |
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Live-Action TV[]
- Subverted on the season one Opening Credits of Happy Days: Richie & Potsie are out with a couple of girls at the movies, the boys on the outside and the girls on the inside. Richie & Potsie both go for this, but end up touching hands themselves, and pull back.
- Averted in episode "The Fight" in Saved by the Bell. Slater and a new girl in school go to a theater, but Zack has a crush on her too. So he pays a lady to pretend she's Slater's mom, and to sit between them in order to kill any attempt.
Literature[]
- Genderflipped in Book of the Stars. In a movie theater, young wizard Robin Penmarch feels his friend Amber try to grab his hand, but he doesn't dare to respond and she gives up. That time.
Film[]
- Summer Of '42: Hermie at the theater grabs what he supposes to be Aggie's bosom, but it was only her arm. At the very same time Oscy gets the "Stop it!" reaction with Miriam.
Western Animation[]
- As Told by Ginger, episode "Dare I, Darren?": Ginger ends up at the movies sitting between her crush Ian and her friend Darren, who she's started to think she might have feelings for. During a scary moment, she accidentally grabs both their hands. (And Ian's on a date with the Alpha Bitch at the time...)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender, subverted in "The Ember Island Players": Aang certainly intended to do so, but Zuko came and sat next to Katara. Zutarians supposed they do so later like in this fanart.
Type C[]
Film[]
- Chicken Little, at the very end with Chicken Little and Abby while watching the movie about their story.
Advertising[]
- Subversion with that ad that ends with a Pair the Spares gay variation.
Western Animation[]
- Kim Possible:
- In the season 2 episode "Grudge Match", Ron accidentally touches the theater check-out girl while taking popcorn.
- In "Exchange", Monique and Kim have the "I sit next to him" argument.