Up in the Air

Living in Meridian, Mississippi has its pros and cons … as is the case with living anywhere … but one of the biggest cons for me is that I have to travel great distances (at least an hour) to see a movie in the theatre that has been nominated for anything.  Generally, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ is showing on six of the eight screens, and usually for a solid month … so when movies such as ‘Up in the Air’ come out, I am no longer even tempted to check and see if it will be here … there’s no chance.  So, on my recent vacation, I had a couple of hours before meeting up with a few friends, and I decided to catch the film by my lonesome.  There is something strangely enjoyable about watching a film by yourself … and quite literally, I was the only person in the theatre … but doing so as you watch a movie about 21st Century isolation … well, that provided a good 2 hours of reflection. 

The movie stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham; a man whose position in life requires him to disconnect from people … he is hired by corporations to systematically fire their excess personnel in the midst of our nation’s economic woes.  As those receiving their pink slips get upset, angry, depressed, and/or worried, Bingham is there to recycle clichés about their promising future, and get them out of the building so that he might move on to his next victim.  Being masterful at his job, he enjoys all aspects of it, which includes being on the road 11 or so months out of the year, meeting others travelers with similar leases on life, and working towards an 8-digit frequent flyer mile goal.  

Everything is rolling along (picture the suitcase in the airport for effect) for Bingham, that is, until a recent Ivy League graduate is brought in to make this efficiency outfit more efficient.  Natalie, played by a grown-up Anna Kendrick from the Twilight movies, enters into the picture suggesting that Bingham and those like him, be taken off the road, and placed in a cubical to do the same job over the internet.  After having fired others for years, Bingham is extremely unhappy that his job might be changed, and a conflict of age verses experience ensues.  The solution offered to this squabble; Bingham must take Natalie on the road with him to prove the “dignity” of the way things have been done.  From there, the adventure begins. 

The movie is well-done, entertaining, funny, thought-provoking, and while a little racy at times, well worth seeing.  Clooney’s character, an inspiration to those in my age demographic, and even beyond, who wear their independence and self-reliance as a badge of honor, is forced to evaluate who he is and what he has sought after as the movie unfolds.  Similar to John Mayer’s new album, there is an attempt to convince himself that an isolated way of life is best.  However, lying beneath the surface is the fact that we, as human beings, are made for community, and while real relationships are messy and complicated, they are very much necessary for our development and well-being.