What are your thoughts on watching movies from the middle of their run on TV?

It’s been a while since I’ve done it, but if it’s a movie I’ve never seen before, I’ll watch a few minutes and if I like it I’ll watch the rest. If I liked the ending, I’ll try to watch it all the way through from the beginning sometime. When it’s really good, I feel like I have to see the beginning soon so that I can get the whole movie. If it’s a movie I’ve seen before, I’ll just watch it and then be done.

Generally i don’t like it, and will change channels and look for when the movie is on again so that i can watch the whole thing.
If it’s something that i’ve seen before and i like the movie, i’ll watch it from the middle no problem.
If it’s something i haven’t seen before and it looks interesting and i’m really bored or something, i may just watch it anyway. But i MUCH rather prefer to watch an interesting movie from the beginning

I never do it.
In fact, that is where I usually fall asleep when I watch one from the start ;)

Tropic Thunder: Hadn’t seen it before and missed the beginning. I got hooked right away and was shocked to find out that one of the main characters was Robert Downey Jr. near the end. Now that I’ve seen it again from the beginning, I know that that little bonus wouldn’t have happened.

Wuthering Heights: I read the book ~30 years ago. One early morning, it was on, but about halfway through it. Decided to watch it anyway since my SO was reading it. It was worse than the book. No offense to those who love it…it’s just not my cup of tea.

Usually if there is a movie now on tv that I had not yet seen there is a good reason for that and jumping in mid stream is not a big deal to me and if I cannot pick up on hat I might have missed I will try and catch the beginning some other time.

I’m like Woody Allen’s character Alvy Singer in Annie Hall—I have to see a movie from beginning to end, even if I’ve seen it before. I have cable, so when I stumble on a movie that’s already started that I want to see or see again, I do a quick search to see if it’s due to run again. If so, I schedule it and stop watching. (I currently have about 10 movies like this queued up.)

This happens rarely – the movie really has to grasp my attention in a few seconds. I think the last time this happened, the movie was ‘Speak’.

Oh no no no no!!! Absolutely must see it from the get go. No point otherwise.

I have done that. Watched it from the middle. If I liked I felt hanging. Sometimes I would go rent the movie to see the beginning.

I will only drop in the middle of a film if I have seen it before. Otherwise, it’s a no go for me. In regards to television, I cannot watch a series if I don’t start at the beginning unless the plot isn’t rigid (think something like NCIS or Criminal Minds.) I still need to catch seasons three and four of Dexter – if season five begins before I catch up, they’ll have to wait in my DVR. If the show is a repeat episode I have already seen, I don’t care as much. I can drop in whenever.

N.O. nuh-uh!

Not for 20 years anyway. However, ..when I had cable I used to turn on TCM, and plop right down in the middle of a classic if I’d already seen it before. His Girl Friday (1940) comes to mind. You can just jump right in.

I remember in college if a reel change flub or other projectionist misstep happened: “start it from the beginning” would be the crowd’s lively chanting demand. I suppose I imprinted on that kind of purist hard-line.

I can’t even watch movies at home with someone who has bad movie watching skills: getting up and doing things, not paying attention – just disrespectful to the movie and the immediate audience – as if the movie wasn’t the most important thing in the room.

This can be awkward with dates. It’s pretty much a deal-killer if you’re overly confused or distracted during a movie – for the most part.

Me: “Should I hit pause? “No? Really…. What are you doing exactly?!”

Apparently some people want completely interchangeable mindless entertainment.
(As opposed to completely interchangeable MINDFUL entertainment, I guess.)

It wasn’t a movie but just yesterday some friends and I visited another friend’s house to watch the MotoGP race, but when we turned it on it had already started (just one measly lap) but everyone unanimously demanded it be turned off and we all happily waited around for 2 hours drinking beer/wine until the race was put online for rebroadcast and we could watch it proper.

That’s just how it should be.

I only do this when I have already seen the movie. There are a few movies that I will always watch on TV. For example any time Forest Gump is on I am glued to the TV even if the movie is almost over.

I will not watch a movie from the middle.

I’m with @YARNLADY . I don’t watch anything from the middle. Once I miss the beginning I just don’t bother. If it’s something I really want to see I check when it’s coming on again and try to catch it on time.

if it wasn’t for catching movies somewhere other than the beginning, I wouldn’t see many at all. It’s all good still.

All the time. I’d rathar watch some than none. If it really interests me, I might try and find it at the video store.