Up In The Air

I attended the movie "Up in the Air" this evening, in a small, vintage theater in Ashland, Oregon. The theater was impressive, with bold colors, delicate light fixtures and a humble stage. After all the hype and excitement surrounding movies like "Avatar", and "Sherlock Holmes", this was a dramatic change of pace for this moviewatcher.

I wasn't sure what I expected, the cast looked compelling enough to go and see it, and with the description of the movie found on my newly loaded iPhone app, Flixster, I thought it fit the bill nicely for a light comedy with some Clooney eye candy.

I was wrong. My experience may just have been because I was expecting a different movie than what I saw. Perhaps with a different impression, my review of the movie would be different.

While I can't give "Up" a thumbs down, I was surprised by it's depressing nature of life, work, and love. The sheer fact that the loss of jobs in mass execution is something that is done virtually without meaning, and the vast black hole of the reality of human choice left me with a sadness of truth often forgotten. Further, that taking a risk on making a connection may be something we tend to take for granted this day in age. But in the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Under my recent circumstances of facing unemployment by choice, I appreciated the spin of "a new opportunity" in light of the faced unfortunate circumstance. It made me think perhaps my choices not as hasty, but as taking for granted the fact that I hold the talent and desire to strive for my dreams, instead of settling for a paycheck without loyalty.

The movie left my heart a bit depressed with the heaviness of truth in business and truth in life. Clooney's character made his living by delivering the worst of news to hundreds of people a month, provided motivational seminars to white-collared sell-outs to eliminate the responsibility of life and live with an "empty bag".

My bag is full, not of the possessions that I own, (in fact there are hardly any) but of the people and experiences I have had the good fortune to know. It begs the question: is life something you make, or is life is something that has been given? And at what point, should it all be tossed away to achieve the dream?

I would recommend seeing this movie, for the thoughtful script, the engaging characters, the execution of the actors, and the wonderful soundtrack. Just beware of the raw truth of human life.

3 1/2 stars