Up In The Air - A Reflective Review
I wonder if I loved this movie so much because it is purely really that great, or it was because I had absolutely no expectations watching it, and nor have I heard anything about it aside from the fact that it stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick?
Maybe not everyone will feel the overwhelming effect that this movie had on me, but living in a society surrounded by judgmental beings who constantly nags on why my life is nowhere near according to the stereotypical steps that everyone else seems to be taking, this movie moved me in so many levels on views of commitment, family, and freedom to live the life that you want.
George Clooney is always George Clooney. Personally, I never thought he was an outstanding actor because he's always the same. Always that same cocky, smartass, smirky characters. The character he plays in this movie, Ryan Bingham, is the same. But this is the one role that is SO perfect for George Clooney, it's almost like he's playing himself. Bingham's line of work puts him on the road most of the time, living off hotel rooms and perks from his myriad collection of loyalty membership cards. His life goal, unlike other people who aim for one million dollars by the time they're 35 or a two storey house in the burbs, is to achieve 10 million miles in his American Airlines mileage. He only feels at home when he's on the road, not when he's home home.
By chance, Bingham meets Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), this mysteriously attractive woman who lives the same kind of carefree lifestyle he lives. Alex Goran is practically the female version of Ryan Bingham. But is she really all that she seems to be? Also, into the mix comes Natalie Keener, a fresh Cornell graduate who is hired in Bingham's company. She is the typical booksmart naive idealist who waltzes into Bingham's otherwise smooth sailing flight pattern and rattles the plane.
Two things that this movie speaks to me about:
One. You should be able to exercise the choice of living your life the way you want to live it, not how you're supposed to live it according to others. The archetype of life stages in general: get a college degree -> get a job -> buy a house -> get married -> have children. As a member of the female species, I would like to highlight the most annoying things that are always expected of us, and those things are: get married, and have children. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a person who is completely against marriage or doesn't wanna have babies, but I am definitely against marriage if they're simply done based on completely wrong reasons. Some people do want to live according to the archetype, and are lucky enough to find their true love, and live happily ever after, but for those of us who doesn't, I think we deserve the freedom to walk outside the fence, and to be accepted without judgment and/or constant scrutiny for coloring outside the lines. If a person is not the marrying type, then he/she should not be forced into getting married just because that's the way it's supposed to be. Neither should one marry a complete stranger they've only met for less than a month just because that's the way it's supposed to be. This is how infidelities start and divorces happen.
Two. Change isn't always good, nor is it always bad. Everything you're comfortable with is simply a force of habit. Some changes work, some don't, either way, it's uncomfortable at first but you learn to adjust. I believe that there's always a reason for everything, and there's always two sides of the same coin. Something that may seem disastrous at first might just end up as a blessing in disguise if you truly looked a little closer. I'm a firm believer that God always knows what's best for me, and I have faith. Sure, I can't speak for those who has suffered immensely in war and has their entire life and family blown away to ashes. We may not always understand how God works, like why he lets bad things happen to good people (He works in mysterious ways, so I heard ;D), but I truly hope I'll always be able to hold on (tight) to my faith.
The ending of this movie is a little unexpected, some people may see it as a bad ending, but to me, I actually liked how it ended. To me, it felt nice to see it end that way. If they gave Bingham a happy ending, I feel like it would send a message that says, yes, because THAT is the way it should be, there's no way around it, you will eventually end up in the same path as everyone else. So, I liked that it didn't end that way. It's perfect. It's okay to be a Ryan Bingham (figuratively, of course.)
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