Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in your favorite movie? Well, BBQ Films comes about as close to making that happen as one possibly could.
BBQ Films is a production company which cultivates events with interactive programming to reflect whichever movie it is screening on a given date. The events are held once every few months and are incredibly fun.
Their most recent trip was into the world of Mean Girls, a recognizable film in any circle that has become a cult classic.
The first question I heard when I walked into BBQ Films' Mean Girls screening event was "Do you like Mean Girls?" In my opinion, anybody who answers "no" to this question is either an alien or lying. I have never once met someone who was opposed to the movie.
Truth be told, I can't imagine anyone out there would be opposed to an event centered around it either—although they may oppose to it not having been on October 3. It's a movie that people can relate to, and making movies relatable is one of the company's primary goals.
The company started out as a rooftop BBQ and movie night with friends and spawned into a phenomenon organization that is now 350 people strong.
The Mean Girls night was incredibly well thought out, from the tickets (with levels like "student," "cool mom" and "plastic" depending on how many extra perks you wanted) to signs allocating each room as the cafeteria, gym, etc. We were greeted with Kaltëen bars, of course, then directed upstairs to see the Winter Talent Show.
The fantastic Winter Talent Show began with acts mixing from the random to those seen in the movies like the iconic "Jingle Bell Rock" number and a special appearance from Kevin G. singing his Mathlete Rap. And once he was off-stage, Rajiv Surendra (who plays Kevin) took to the floor to sign copies of his book, The Elephants in my Backyard, and took selfies with fans.
Once the talent portion of the evening ended, we made our way to the auditorium where different seats were laid out depending on the level you purchased. "Students" sat towards the back on benches (or "bleachers"), lawn chairs for the "Cool Moms" and leather booths for the "Plastics." The screening portion commenced along with tons of quote-alongs and familiar laughs.
Throughout the night, familiar faces circled the room from "Damien and Janice" to "Mr. Duvall" (baseball bat and cast included) and even those keen to call out the girl who "doesn't even go here." And of course, because it was Wednesday, participants donned plenty of pink.
It really did feel like we were a part of the movie, minus the Regina George victimization. "We create what we want to be a part of," says Gabriel Roads, the founder of the company. The only thing missing was some of these Mean Girls-themed gifts.
Typical BBQ Films screenings include swag to help you get into character, event posters designed by one of their talented artists, one-on-one experiences with actors and some favorite movie-watching snacks.
I'm told there's a ton of surprises in the new year and even some hopes to bring it to new cities. It's gonna be a great 2017 so keep an eye out for their next event if you want an incredible and unique movie-going experience.