Tonight, I went to see this recent film with my parents. I love being one of the cool kids. In all seriousness, it was a nice time (difficult for it not to be when I'm not the one paying). But enough about my wild and crazy weekend engagements (spoilers follow; you have been warned)...
"Up in the Air" leaves the audience a little bit down in the dumps, certainly moreso than one would predict after seeing the trailer. Clooney plays his familiar sort of role--a rather charmingly misanthropic middle-aged wiseacre. But this is what America loves him for. He turns in the solid performance that we are accustomed to, so that is all well and good. Vera Farmiga ably plays Clooney's fellow perpetual traveler-cum-siren-cum-betrayer, and Anna Kendrick plays the spunky know-it-all who threatens Clooney's way of doing business and precipitates his awakening to his true loneliness. The acting is pretty good in the film. Without going all Roger Ebert on you, Let me just impart some assorted thoughts (musings, even, since that's what we here at TVM do) before sending you on your way.
My favorite aspect of the movie was the periodic inter-generational dialogue that seems to be going on. Kendrick's character arrives in the company fresh-faced and full of new-age ideas but without experience. In one scene, she bemoans her bad fortune for not having found "the one," as her boyfriend has just broken up with her...via text message. Despite her obvious high intelligence, she receives advice from her older associates, whose values still seem relevant. Definitely a nice moment.
I have more to say about generational interaction, but I'll save it for another time (I have to keep you coming back somehow, don't I?
Cheers.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
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