Kids & Family

Marcus Cinema Shusher: 'Everyone Expects Someone Else to Do It'

Mace DeVries says his anger got the best of him when he told a fellow moviegoer to turn off her "damn cell phone."

Everyone's been there. You go to the movies. You sit through a few previews and decide which movies you plan to see.

Then the movie starts and... a phone rings.

Crete resident Mace DeVries and his wife were at  on Saturday, April 28, to see The Raven when the voice of a 58-year-old Flossmoor woman talking on her phone interrupted the start of the show.

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DeVries went up to the woman and said "Turn off your damn phone," which prompted the woman to notify police and tell officers she was scared. DeVries was not arrested nor issued any citations.

Since then, Patch readers have commented on the story, mostly showing support for DeVries and disagreeing with the woman's decision to get police involved.

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Bill Leff of WGN Radio interviewed DeVries on his Friday morning show, supporting the 44-year-old martial arts instructor's decision to confront the woman.

DeVries stands by his decision, but regrets how he went about addressing the woman.

“In full retrospect, I absolutely should not have been as hostile about it as I was, but I was irritated and I let my anger get the best of me,” DeVries said.

DeVries' wife, Dawn, said she felt her husband did his best to keep the situation from escalating.

“Mace did offer to apologize, but she would have none of it," Dawn said. "He just wanted it to be over.”

DeVries said he has been known to ask other movie-goers to turn off cell phones at the movie theater, but this is the first time anyone has called in the police. He also said he believes it is OK for people to address issues themselves instead of relying on others.

“I think that’s one of the bigger problems is that everyone expects someone else to do it," DeVries said. "God forbid you have a direct interaction with somebody that is exhibiting behavior that is troublesome for you. It’s become something of a 'Mother, may I' society of having to get somebody else, a third party.”

Regardless, Devries said he probably would have been more civil if given a second chance, acknowledging his 6-foot, 200-pound build may have intimidated the woman.

As for The Raven, Dawn said it wasn't a very good movie. "I like John Cusack, but it could have been a lot better."  

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