You've finally landed much coveted tickets to Halloween: The Homecoming, but the clowns in the row behind you won't stop whispering.

If you can't move to a new seat, YOU SAY: "I'm sorry, but your conversation is making it so I can't hear the movie. Would you mind keeping it down?"

WHY: With strangers, kind requests are more successful — and safer — than aggressive confrontations. "Instead of criticizing the person, make it about yourself," says Ilene Rosenzweig, coauthor of Swell: A Girl's Guide to the Good Life, www.amazon.com. "Excuse me, I'm deaf in one ear, so it's hard for me to hear.'"

WHAT ALSO WORKS: Asking the ushers for help. At New York City's Ziegfeld movie theater, the sight of the manager is enough to muffle motormouths. Explains the manager, who asked that his name not be used, "I just say, If you don't stop talking, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.' I've never had to escort anyone out of the Ziegfeld."