Up in the Air

Goolphipp Award: 3.4 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
We've all heard the hype around this movie in some way or another. Could be you've heard that George Clooney did a stellar job, and they would be right. Clooney has the Cary Grant sparkle and charm, which is perfect for this movie. Could be you heard about all those awards nominations for this movie, and just might want to watch it to see if it deserved all of them. While I don't think that it was the best movie this awards season, I have to say that the script (aside from the ending...or lack thereof) was pretty great. It had the humor jabs juggling the drama without being cheeseball. (I do have to say, the idea of downsizing all our material possessions in our "backpack" is absolutely a splendid idea. It kind of inspires me to clean out my house.) Let's address the ending - warning! spoiler might be on the horizon - I hate movies where nothing really changes. I suppose the kid learns something...but it doesn't seem like he decides to really make an effort to reforge relationships with his family or have more of a life. Ryan (Clooney) just seems resigned to his life in the sky. What a downer. And that lady was a jerk.

Moving onto other points, Anna Kendrick, of the Twilight Saga fame, shows she has something to bring to the table as far as acting chops. I was impressed, and I hope she continues to enhance her repertoire.

It was good to see Sam Elliott, too.

This movie was well-done in all respects - cinematography, sound mixing, acting, directing, writing - except the last 5 minutes made it a downer. I don't anticipate a lot of DVD sales on this one, folks. Nobody wants to be stabbed in the heart twice.

Phipps overall: 2.75
I can't see past the nose-dive at the end.

Goolsby:
Phipps has already warned you of the not so great ending. I'm okay with endings that don't always end up on the bright side of things, but this movie seemed like it was headed somewhere else. The whole movie builds up this character Ryan. We see that his life is isolated and always in transit. He really has no roots. Even when he visits his family, he has been removed too long to even connect at first. I think this movie tries to show that relationships, no matter what kind, take work. Lots of it.

The backpack Phipps talks about above is a neat concept in the movie. The constant moving Ryan is a motivational speaker who sends the message, what really matters in life? When it comes down to it, his travel size carry on is really Ryan's backpack. The things that he cares about turns out to be all about his transatory life.

The point I'm trying to make is that this movie builds up Ryan's realization, but he ultimately - spoiler - does nothing with his realization. He ends up alone. Thinking back on this movie though, I guess it is realistic. Some people end up alone, in spite of even realizing they have other options. I don't think I would want to see this again, but as I write this, I've decided it was a good message. Perhaps it will inspire me to make the other decision - to live a connected life.

Oh, and one more thing. There is a speech given by Alex (Clooney's love interest), played by Vera Farmiga, that basically outlines everything she looks for in a man. The whole scene surrounding this list hits home, and hits it hard.

Goolsby overall: 4
Hmm, I won't see it again, but I can't give it less than this. I took a lot from this movie.

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