Up in the Air

Occasionally a movie comes along, such as this one, and tingles the very fiber of my being. Other awful ways of saying it: touches my heart, pokes my soul, tickles my asshole, gives me a back rub with a very special, happy ending. Dirty enough for you? Well anyway - I was in la cinema with approximately twenty other folks - age wise, it was almost split half and half. Hipsters my age, couples in their forties/fifties, and the ancient, dusty elderly.

Remember that scene in Airplane? No? Fine. No more offbeat references for you then.

A good movie will make you laugh, a great movie will make you laugh and think and realize something about yourself. This is a great movie. When something happened, humorous or not, that I laughed at, I noticed nobody else in my age group laughed or even snickered. It was myself, the forty/fifty somethings, and the dinosaurs that were chuckling and chortling. [Go ahead, google the word chortle.] I'm pretty sure the only time the peeps my age laughed was after a one-liner from Vera Farmiga. I'm also pretty sure the only reason why they laughed was because the word 'vagina' was involved. That, along with several other instances, is when I got a-thinking ... about life, myself, my very existence, about vagina's and so forth. That is what a great movie will do. This certainly is a flick for our time ... not necessary this decade, surely this year, and probably the past few years. Is this picture a comedy? Is it a tragedy? No and no.

It's a Jason Reitman experience. His films are certainly nothing but astonishing - and this one is at the top of the list. He can make you laugh, he can make your eyes start to water, he can make you run the gauntlet of emotion in an instant. This movie is driven by everything - the three lead actors, the story, the characters, the hip soundtrack - everything. Usually scenes and transitions that are just landscape shots [aerials] anything, get on my nerves. [See Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Wait, shit, don't see that movie - I would never wish that upon anybody. Just, errrr, take my word for it.] The transitions didn't annoy me - they felt appropriate [given the title of the flick,] and the cast was very well rounded - the supporting cast [Galifianakis, JK Simmons, Sam Elliott...the list goes on...] and the real people that have been fired recently that appeared on screen, some actors, some real people. Those testimonials were a nice touch. Oh, and Reitman was up to his usual indie-hipster awesome cool soundtrack thing as well.

Nothing new - Michael Cera = awkward teenager / Kat Dennings = rebellious teenager. We've seen this before. You know, every movie they have ever been in. EVER.

The length felt just right, even though there were two times where I thought the movie was actually over. I have to find the book that this film is based off of. That is my next quest. I can't wait for Reitman's next feature - he just blows me away. G-man Clooney, Vera Farmiga [who was delightful in Orphan,] and this Anna Kendrick person were perfect. Twas the case with Kendrick and a receptionist dude played by Chris Lowell that I had deja-vu with - I enjoyed them thoroughly and I think I've seen them before. I want to see more of them. Kendrick surprised me the most. All the performances were just splendid - Vera is amazing and has a body to match - I mean DAMN! Not sure if she qualifies for Milf status yet, but mmmm. Danny McBride was a surprise - up to his usual humor and then a few nice moments.

So many airport related sexual innuendos, so little time.

I hope [and probably secretly know] that this movie better be recognized - any aspect really. I found myself connecting with Clooney's inner escapist and his philosophies a little too tooo much. It was getting scary. I have a new motto and it was one of my favorite nuggets from the flick - "Life is better with company." That and "Never trust a dude in a tunic," oddly enough, the latter one was said by Danny McBride in Land if the Lost. I don't recall ever going on about a movie for this long - so a new goal and bar set. I loved this movie. I am seeing it again. Soon. Life is indeed better with company. See this movie with everybody. Now.