Up in the Air

Witwiwo:

What: Up in the Air

When: Sunday, January 3rd.

How Long: 1 hour, 49 minutes. Not too short, not too long.

Where: Good ol' Summerville Azalea theatre. It's been a while since I'd been there.

Why: I saw the preview this past semester when I was supposed to be working on a paper, and was highly intrigued by the concept.

What I ate while I watched: A free soda because Regal Cinemas loves me. Or my money. Go Regal club!

Director: Jason Reitman

Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman.

Expectations: Fairly high. Between the preview, Clooney's record and the sterling reviews most people I know have given it, I was expecting a good bit.

Two Sentence Synopsis: Ryan Bingham fires people for a living, travelling all over the country to do so, aspiring to obtain 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles. When Ryan is partnered with the much younger new girl, Natalie, and meets an on-the-road fling, Alex, conflicting ideas of what it means to live causes enough tension that both Ryan and Natalie are forced to re-evaluate their lives.

My Favorite Part or Quote was: Pretty difficult to pick--there were a lot of good quotes, philosophical and comical. Here was one I really liked though:

Ryan: [Talking about his 10,000,000 flyer miles goal]...and you get your name on the side of a plane...

Natalie: Oh my God, you men never grow up, it's like you have to pee on everything. It's like you're afraid of mortality.

Ryan: And why do you suppose that is?

Natalie: I don't know, probably because you can't have babies.

Ryan: Oh, the babies argument.

(Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I didn't quote that word for word, but it's close)

How Fun It Was: Hil-daggum-larious. (compound words FTW) So many one liners, and then Zach Galifianakis' little side-sketch about being fired had me cracking up. And I quote:

Ryan: Do you know why kids look up to sports stars?

Employee: I dunno, because they have sex with lingerie models?

Ryan: No, that's why we look up to sports stars. Kids look up to sports stars because they follow their dreams.

The Positives: The writing was stellar. More than stellar. Interstellar, you might say. And the smoothly connected conflict between what Natalie thought life was about and the corresponding ideas of Ryan, along with their separate issues left you a flick you could decide the meaning to. Also, the cinematography was subtly fantastic.

The Negatives: Hmm...for some, a touch 0' the language throughout. I didn't so much mind it, but you may. Not much else. I would be fine if this one swept a good portion of the awards.

The Theology, Philosophy, Morality or Application: Like I just said, it is left a little open to interpretation. There is the idea that Ryan lives out--keep moving and don't be tied down, that relationships are the heaviest weight you will bear and therefore should be avoided, which directly conflicts with Natalie's lifestyle of trying to seek out companionship and staying connected. Each character realizes some slight value in the other's viewpoint, while not necessarily adopting it full-on. Essentially, recognizing the value in other people's ideas.

One thing I learned: Not everyone who has a radical viewpoint or lifestyle does so for dumb reasons. There is value in understanding and destroying other's paradigms.

The ending: Took me completely by surprise, in a good way. The twist--which I will not reveal--blew me away and the movie is much better for it. A tad unresolved, but artfully done.

Go/Rent/Buy/Don't: GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I'm serious. Yes, you won't lose a whole lot from the theater to your television, but it is worth getting yourself into the theater for it. And if you don't, then buy it. And if you don't at least rent it, I will hand deliver a box of feces to your place of residence.