Lawyer was a little underwhelmed in December, but I found much more in the film than he did. The aerial shots of the different cities was a nice directorial touch - I've never seen establishing shots done like this before. Other great directorial touches include putting military personnel in the airport backgrounds and placing mostly cold buildings behind George Clooney while placing trees and bushes behind Anna Kendrick. The quick back and forth dialogue was enjoyable and funny. Clooney was a little too smug in a few scenes, but Kendrick and Vera Farmiga nailed their parts (as did Reitman-regulars Jason Bateman, Sam Elliott, and JK Simmons). The scene with Simmons is where it became a great film for me, only slightly dipping with the Danny McBride part before pulling it together with the touching (and apparently real) stories from the recently fired . . .
Like Sideways, the title obviously has multiple meanings. Bateman says it verbatim toward the end, but it's also metaphorically appropriate addressing where we are as a country and a species. Maybe mankind has always had an uncertain future, but there used to be some sense of community. I loved the ending and Clooney takes the action that so many others in the film (and us) do: Just keep living and put one foot in front of the other.
As for defending marriage, I though Clooney did a pretty good job when he talked about the best moments of a person's life are usually shared with someone else. This could represent friends, family, or a spouse, but seemed to prompt Clooney himself into serious action. The film is not quite tight or focused enough and meanders toward the end. There are minor distractions (e.g Can, sir? and Bateman talking about his bowel habits), but its heart is absolutely in the right place. It's right there with its Pixar namesake as the biggest emotional impact of the year. A-
Revised Top 10 of 2009 (with much left to see)
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Up in the Air
5. Public Enemies
6. (500) Days of Summer
7. Adventureland
8. The Brothers Bloom
9. The Hangover
10. Funny People
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Up in the Air - Part 2
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2 comments:
I am surprised you liked it as much as you did. The scenes you mention are very good but I just did not feel it got there on any significant points. Having said that (!), I certainly am rooting for it against Avatar. This is stacking up to be a spectacularly weak year in film.
I felt it got there with technology disrupting actual human contact, but it was admittedly more slick entertainment than revelatory mind-blower. Inglourious Basterds is the only one that fits that bill this past year.
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