Up in the Air

In the aftermath of the Oscars, I am on a campaign to see some of the most nominated Oscars picks. First on my list: Up in the Air.

This movie tells the story of Ryan Bingham, a professional firer--one who fires people-- and successful motivational speaker preaching the liberty of a lack of commitment. Homeless is the sense that he lives in airports, planes, hotels, and in rental cars, Bingham's life goal is to rack up as many rewards miles as humanly possible and achieve gold/platinum status wherever he can. Ryan seems very content with his situation until something rocks his personal and professional boats. First, he meets a fun, engaging woman, Alex, with a similar career and gold/platinum status; then, his company decides to take him off the road and begin firing via web-cam. But when he finally reaches his career "high," he begins to realize that the life he has chosen for himself is not all that it cracked up to be.

What I liked: The movies was very well written. Any script that uses the word "hubris" in a normal conversation passes my test. The conversations are real and engaging. The script definitely deserved the Oscar nomination. Also, it was very well acted. George Clooney especially was very believable and added great dimension to the characters. While I thought the girl that played Natalie overacted at times, she had several great scenes. I also like the editing and style of the film. There are some great sequences that are almost soldier -like as Bingham packs his bag, checks in, and goes through security with machine-like precision. Then in the scene at the family wedding, the director uses a series of fun, hand held close-ups with only the soundtrack behind it (no talking). This does a great job of getting the audience emotionally engaged at this event--very effective. The other family scenes are very funny and sweet when against his better judgment, Ryan begins to regret his lack of involvment with his sisters over the years.

I also really like how cohesive and clear the message of the movie was. From breaking up over text message to a heartbreaking scene where a man is fired via web-cam in the next room, the movie brilliantly uses the plot to reveal all of the ways our tech-centric culture reduces and eliminates true human interaction leading to an entire break down of relationships. The juxtaposition of Bingham's finesse in letting faithful employees go with the sterile process of the web-cam firing is effective and hilarious. Everything from the solitary shots of Bingham, to his not so motivational back-pack analogy, to the family wedding, the message of the movie is that while relationships are very hard work requiring responsibility and sacrifice without them, life is empty.

There were a few points where I felt the message lost steam. Primarily that while all of the characters could identify why relationships, family, and home are important, no one could explain why. Of course without a Christian worldview where people are made in the image of a relational God and are looking forward to eternity, there really is no reason why.

Spoiler Alert--If you don't want to know what happens at the end, do not read this part.
I was also very disappointed with the twist concerning Alex's character at the end. It felt like a plot device, and I have a hard time believing that a woman would have seemingly no qualms about leading that kind of double life. More than that, the film seemed to have no qualms with her double life either as if to say, "Well sure she is unfaithful to her family and a liar, but at least she has a family." The movie also seems to offer little hope for Bingham and those that have shut themselves off "in a cocoon of self-abandonment" (to quote Natalie in the movie) as if to say that Bingham-types and our culture are a lost cause.

Overall, Up in the Air tells an interesting story very effectively. There are a lot of really funny and poignant moments in this movie, and it is a really good commentary on the effects that technology and our business-driven culture have on relationships and family. I give it an 8 out of 10.