Up In The Air - What's The Point?

(2009) ★★★★☆

What's the purpose of life exactly? Is it all about trying to attend the best college; getting a decent job; looking for your better half; taking out a mortgage to buy a house and getting married and having a kid or two; watching them grow and face the same stuff you used to and preparing to be grandparents; getting old enough and ready to die alone? What is the point?

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham whose job's to travel around the country to fire people for those bosses too cowardly to do it themselves. The way he talks is charming and poetic sometimes. He calls himself a 'Termination Facilitator'. He talks the fired employees into accepting the packet and believing that there're still better things, like hopes and dreams ahead of them to achieve after walking away from the post they've been holding on to for years. Basically, he's the one who persuades people to avoid commitment. That's why he feels embarrassed to be asked to make his cold-feet brother-in-law-to-be believe that marriage is after all a good thing. He's always up in the air coz technically that's where his office is at, that's where he belongs. His backpack is light coz he doesn't wanna be weighed down by relationships or family and stuff. So we're kinda convinced that he doesn't take Alex (Vera Farmiga), another frequent flyer, seriously at first. He's proud of what he's doing coz he thinks he's providing some sorta unique services here. That's why, when the newbie Natalie (Anna Kendrick) presents a plan to conduct layoffs via webcam, he's pissed.

Bingham's invited from time to time to give speeches about the Swans-and-Sharks way of life. There's a line, 'the slower we move, the faster we die'. I'll buy the opposite to be frank. It's, however, understandable why he'd say things like that. He's not the man who would believe in marriage or relationships. He doesn't seem to enjoy his life back on the ground or being with his family. Loneliness is nothing to him coz he always feels like he's surrounded by the people he can talk to. He's not afraid of dying alone either, coz he believes that, in a sense, we're all gonna die alone. He simply doesn't want to settle down, does he?

'I have a number in mind and I haven't hit it yet'. I remember Bingham says it twice in the film. I guess what he really means is, 'I do want to be grounded and settled, but I haven't found the reason yet'. His sister getting married somehow makes him feel the warmth and need of having a proper date or a partner. When he seems to have found the reason, turns out it's just what he likes to believe!

It's not a comedy. If you're misled, blame George Clooney. It's not a tragedy either, coz everybody's fine after all with the way they are in the end. 'Life's better with company. Everyone needs a co-pilot'. Sure we all need to grow up one day. We can't always be like a 12-year-old up in the air. That's the point!