Up in the Air

There are movies that can make you laugh, they make your stomach ache (see my last movie post). There are movies that leave you in awe with the visuals that you are transported to a different dimension (Avatar). And there are just a few movies which make you think, and think hard. This movie, Up in the Air is way up there.

This latest feature from Juno Director, Ivan Reitman, tells the story of a corporate downsizer, Ryan, and his exploits. His exploits include his manly goal of achieving ten million miles and be just the seventh person to do that. Further along, due to his lifestyle of steady flying in and out of places, he is living a relationship-free life mainly out of his delight and comfort. He thinks marriage is overrated, that relationships are a burden, and emotions should be backpacks that are to be left behind to move faster in life.

All these changes when he meets Alex, a corporate downsizer herself and Natalie, a new hire who proposes to use video conferencing as replacement for the personal way of downsizing. These changes take a heavy toll on his brick wall of isolation, turning his life around. He suddenly decides to attend a sister's wedding, even bringing along Alex with her, and in a key scene in the movie is able to talk the groom out of cold feet.

The movie is easy to follow and the characters so real. There is Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) who cares nothing less than the results as against the means by which it was procured. There is the determined Natalie who wants nothing less than to prove her academic achievements through her innovative ideas. And there's the casual lovers Ryan and Alex, who borrow time across flights to escape from the daily rigors of their jobs.

The key to all these is George Clooney who seamlessly puts on the part of Ryan. On second thought, he is as cool and collected as he can be. In fact, he reminds me of Danny Ocean, wearing that boyish smile, the very witty one liners, and his grace under all the pressure and emotion. He is just playing himself out there.

This film effectively captures a man's struggle to remain within his comfort zone and the teasing of a real life that might have been. All that only to be crushed by a shocking spoiler, well not too shocking, maybe I was just enjoying myself too much, I haven't given it much thought. The irony about it all is that Ryan is the master at putting a positive spin on pretty much deathblows, but when life throws him a curve ball and gets a firing himself, he has shock and awe written all over his face. Overall, Up in the Air is a relevant tale of hard times, and a surviving man.