What’s in your backpack? – Up in the air review
Up in the air is a book by Walter Kirn. He has this habit of producing stories that are picked by directors to make movies. This is what Jason Reitman, the Thank you for smoking - Juno fame director, did. He picked up this story which is based on possibly the ugliest part of corporate life, the let go. The build up for the movie has been fantastic and if one is watching the movie without reading any reviews that give away the plot then he’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a firing expert. No, he is not the best shot in town (that would be a Quentin Tarantino movie). He is a smooth operator who helps organizations downsize. He is typical of the corporate type that is married to their jobs and life pretty much is a full stop after his job description. He is known for his “What’s in your backpack?” speech which stresses that the heavier it is the more difficult it is to carry it around.He lives an approximate 300 plus days a year flying and considers the airport and the flights, his home. His concept of relationships is “casual” be it with women or his relatives. Alex Goran(Vera Farmiga) is another 30+ single woman who is a female equivalent of Ryan. They meet at a bar and start enjoying each other’s company. Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is a new joinee in Ryan’s firm and she comes out with the idea of performing the whole downsizing exercise over video conference and of course, the firm would reap huge benefits from it. Ryan is put in charge of teaching her the ropes.
My narration is not going to lead you to the plot. But it is important to understand the background of the characters very well. Here are three individuals whose lives are intertwined. Bingham is an expert in his field and has no time for relationships. Anna is a romantic and ambitious lady and Alex is an attractive woman who has put her career before everything else. The movie is set about elaborating each character’s concepts in life. Ryan’s job is a tough one and it deals with dealing with depression day in and day out. Ryan Bingham sees it as giving people a new lease of life and he carries this out unemotionally. His secret of success is his operate-alone philosophy. Life starts taking a turn when he has to coach the new hire. The movie ends in a very subtle way where he realizes how time has flown away for him to start something new and normal.
The movie is directed very intelligently. There is narration in the background for some scenes but mostly the characters project a lot of subtlety without really spelling it out in words. The ironies of life are nicely exposed and how the moment of realization is sometimes hard to digest is beautifully captured. The characters are the suave ones who have forgotten how to express emotions except Natalie. Reitman’s screenplay is fantastic and the editing done by Dana Galuberman is commendable. Music by Roelfe Kent is suitable.
The beauty of the movie is it questions you. It questions the ambitions of people, commitments, purpose of existence etc. These are questions that have lost relevance as we blindly chase our dreams. Up in the air asks you to slow down and retrospect. Is it worth the chase? Or have you run so fast so far ahead in the race that when you win you realize that you are in it all alone? Recommendation to watch – if you have ever worked in an office watch the movie. You will relate to it and will take it home.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a firing expert. No, he is not the best shot in town (that would be a Quentin Tarantino movie). He is a smooth operator who helps organizations downsize. He is typical of the corporate type that is married to their jobs and life pretty much is a full stop after his job description. He is known for his “What’s in your backpack?” speech which stresses that the heavier it is the more difficult it is to carry it around.He lives an approximate 300 plus days a year flying and considers the airport and the flights, his home. His concept of relationships is “casual” be it with women or his relatives. Alex Goran(Vera Farmiga) is another 30+ single woman who is a female equivalent of Ryan. They meet at a bar and start enjoying each other’s company. Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is a new joinee in Ryan’s firm and she comes out with the idea of performing the whole downsizing exercise over video conference and of course, the firm would reap huge benefits from it. Ryan is put in charge of teaching her the ropes.
My narration is not going to lead you to the plot. But it is important to understand the background of the characters very well. Here are three individuals whose lives are intertwined. Bingham is an expert in his field and has no time for relationships. Anna is a romantic and ambitious lady and Alex is an attractive woman who has put her career before everything else. The movie is set about elaborating each character’s concepts in life. Ryan’s job is a tough one and it deals with dealing with depression day in and day out. Ryan Bingham sees it as giving people a new lease of life and he carries this out unemotionally. His secret of success is his operate-alone philosophy. Life starts taking a turn when he has to coach the new hire. The movie ends in a very subtle way where he realizes how time has flown away for him to start something new and normal.
The movie is directed very intelligently. There is narration in the background for some scenes but mostly the characters project a lot of subtlety without really spelling it out in words. The ironies of life are nicely exposed and how the moment of realization is sometimes hard to digest is beautifully captured. The characters are the suave ones who have forgotten how to express emotions except Natalie. Reitman’s screenplay is fantastic and the editing done by Dana Galuberman is commendable. Music by Roelfe Kent is suitable.
The beauty of the movie is it questions you. It questions the ambitions of people, commitments, purpose of existence etc. These are questions that have lost relevance as we blindly chase our dreams. Up in the air asks you to slow down and retrospect. Is it worth the chase? Or have you run so fast so far ahead in the race that when you win you realize that you are in it all alone? Recommendation to watch – if you have ever worked in an office watch the movie. You will relate to it and will take it home.
Truly said.. The movie is really a must watch for everyone who is in the corporate "chasing their dreams"..
ReplyDeleteBut no doubt for me the best part was What is in the back pack ? series.. it is really worth pondering over.. that what we carry with us all the time..