Tomorrowland (6/10): An imaginative film that runs out of steam during the second half

“I want you to take me to the place I saw when I touched this.”

After having seen the trailer for Tomorrowland, I didn’t have very high expectations for it, but once I heard Brad Bird was directing this project I knew I had to see it because everything he had done up to this point was amazing. Ratatouille is one of my favorite animated films and The Incredibles was also an entertaining one. I have heard great things about his first animated film, Iron Giant, but I haven’t seen it. Tomorrowland is his second live action film after having directed the latest Mission Impossible sequel which was also quite impressive (that Abu Dhabi scene was breathtaking), so there was no reason for me to doubt Bird and I was ready to give him my full support. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit for taking a risk by directing this unique project instead of accepting to make the Star Wars sequel, and in a way Tomorrowland feels refreshingly original. Bird also co-wrote the screenplay along with Damon Lindelof (one of the writers of my favorite TV series, Lost) so I raised my interest again considering they were involved. Unfortunately this is by far Bird’s weakest film, but I still had a decent time at the movies. 

The film opens with Frank Walker (George Clooney) speaking directly to the audience and explaining what the future holds for the planet in a rather pessimistic tone, but he is constantly interrupted by a young teenager named Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) who wants him to be more optimistic. So Frank begins by explaining that the future wasn’t always as bad as it looks now, and in a flashback we are introduced to that time when as a young boy (Thomas Robinson) he invented a jet pack in order to try to impress a judge at a science fair named Nix (Hugh Laurie). The only problem was that it didn’t actually fly so Nix wasn’t impressed. However, he did catch the attention of a young girl, Athena (Raffey Cassidy), who gives him a special pin and asks him to follow them from a distance. What Frank discovers is a fascinating futuristic place where all dreams are possible. Somewhere along the way something goes wrong and we are back in the present where we are introduced to Casey’s story. She also discovers a pin similar to the one Frank was given and is fascinated by the visions she gets of this wonderful place. Destiny will lead her to search for Frank and try to find a way to return to this place, but along the way she experiences several setbacks as many people try to stop her from reaching him.

Tomorrowland begins with a very promising and gripping first half and I was completely engaged with the story. The visuals were impressive and the action scenes very entertaining. Britt Robertson was delivering a strong lead performance and the quest to reach Tomorrowland felt incredibly refreshing and unique. She shared a strong chemistry with George Clooney and her upbeat optimism contrasted perfectly with Clooney’s pessimism. There is no denying the level of ambition this film has, but unfortunately the second half of the film doesn’t deliver on the promising premise and the ending was very bland. My interest fell completely and I lamented the fact that the film couldn’t maintain that same level of intensity delivered during the first half. Hugh Laurie is a great actor, but as the antagonist he never really felt the part. The film ran out of steam and imagination pretty quickly and delivers a somewhat predictable and uninspired ending. 

The film is also pretty heavy handed in delivering its upbeat message (which is recurrent in most Disney movies) of never giving up on your dreams and being optimistic towards life despite all the negative things surrounding us. The fact that there have been tons of films reiterating the “you are special” message to young adolescents also hurts the movie quite a bit. But I did have a great time during the first hour of the film so I’m still going to give it a mild recommendation. Rafael Cassidy delivers one of my favorite performances of the film as Athena. Matthew MacCaull also has a couple of hilarious scenes playing a Secret Service agent. Tommorowland could’ve been a great film, but it runs out of imagination pretty quickly and settles for a lackluster ending. 

My Review: The Monuments Men (6/10)

"If you destroy their achievements, their history, it's like they never existed."

When I heard George Clooney was going to direct a film about a World War II platoon tasked by Roosevelt to rescue art masterpieces, and that Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, and John Goodman were all going to co-star with him, I was sure it was going to win all kinds of awards and was highly anticipating it. Then when the film release was changed to February my expectations for it lowered tremendously, so I wasn't expecting much from The Monuments Men by the time I went to see it. This allowed me to actually enjoy the film a bit more despite the fact that it didn't come close to reaching its potential. It's a slow building film based on a true historic and important event, and the film doesn't stop reminding us of this fact considering it keeps on stating its self importance through the main characters. The film felt forced during those scenes where we were constantly reminded why the mission was so important and worth the human sacrifice. Despite failing in its grand ambitions and never quite figuring out the tone of the film, it's still worth seeing for the great cast. There were also several scenes that stood out in this war picture that included some comedy, but overall the film felt incomplete at times missing something. The word disappointment comes to mind considering how much potential The Monuments Men had, but it was still entertaining despite some of the misfires in Clooney's film.

The script was adapted by George Clooney and Grant Heslov from Robert Edsel's book about the world's greatest treasure hunt in history. Frank Stokes (George Clooney) is tasked by President Roosevelt to form a platoon with the mission of going into Germany and rescuing art masterpieces from the Nazis who had stolen them from their owners (mostly Jewish collectors) for Hitler's collection. Frank quickly froms a team of seven guys consisting of museum directors, curators, and art historians with very little experience in war. The Monuments Men, as they called themselves, was conformed by Frank, James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield (John Goodman), Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin), Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville), and Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban). Despite their little military experience they began a race against time in order to rescue these valuable art pieces and return them to their owners before Hitler destroyed them all.

There are some fun moments in The Monuments Men thanks in most part to the incredible cast, but one can't help and think about how underused they were. The characters were all very poorly developed and they only served to move along the story. I still can recall several funny scenes that were enough for me personally to watch and recommend this film. It's too bad the movie never manages to deliver the importance of the subject matter despite repeating the message constantly. I don't think it did these men justice for their contribution to humanity, but at least we got to know their story and enjoy a light hearted film about them.

My Review: Gravity (9/10)

"It's time to stop driving. It's time to go home."

There are so many great things I want to say about this movie that it's very hard to decide where to begin. I could mention how breathtaking and spectacular the visuals were, or how powerful Sandra Bullock's performance was, or how tense and gripping the film was, or how well this film established its narrative structure of a simple survival story, but I would have to begin by saying this is the scariest space has been since Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi film, Alien. Alfonso Cuaron had several years to prepare for this film and he had big shoes to fill because his latest film, Children of Men, was a spectacular thriller. Let me begin by saying he doesn't disappoint because Gravity is even more mind blowing than that film was. The vastness and emptiness of space turns out to be the greatest villain here and Cuaron does a masterful job at letting us experience that fear on a personal level. The movie is only 90 minutes long but at the end you walk out feeling physically weak after experiencing so much tension. All the hype the film is getting is totally justified, and not just because it's visually stunning, but because it is a completely well crafted movie. I thought Avatar was visually stunning, but I still didn't like that movie very much, so it takes more than that to get me on board and Cuaron did it thanks to a great script and a powerful performance from Sandra Bullock. The tone of the film and the attention to detail is truly unique and that is what makes this film stand out above all the other thousands of space movies we've seen. The long shots Cuaron loves to incorporate in his films never worked so much to his advantage as they do here adding to the vastness of space. I really want to experience this film on IMAX because I'm sure it is all the more breathtaking and worthwhile. This is a wonderful film that will end up on many critics top film lists. Gravity manages to draw you into space and experience it in first person. It is as if Cuaron put us inside Bullock's space suit and let the camera be our eyes. Gravity is an overwhelming experience and one you shouldn't miss out on. It is something special.

The plot is very simple: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer who is on her first space mission working on a satellite. She went through months of training for this specific mission. Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) on the other hand is an experienced astronaut who is in command of this, his last mission. Matt is a self loving guy who enjoys every second of his work, while Ryan is quiet and tries to keep to herself. She seems to enjoy the quietness of space, but she herself has experienced tragedy in her life and hasn't been able to move on. She focuses on her work and nothing else. During their routine mission Matt and Ryan receive a message from Earth telling them to return to the space shuttle as soon as possible because the debris from a satellite explosion is heading their way. As we see from the trailers, the debris reaches them before they can get onboard and all of a sudden Matt and Ryan are left all alone drifting through the vastness and darkness of space trying to survive.

Gravity may not be a character driven film, but the entire movie serves as a sort of metaphor for Ryan's life. She mentions how she spends most of her days simply driving around without a purpose in life and now she is drifting alone through the emptiness of space. Clooney plays a supporting role here but his character plays a key role in Ryan's transformation. At first she is just overwhelmed by the entire incident without a clue as to what she has to do and dependent on Matt, but he manages to calm her down and convince her that she has to fight for survival. Life is worth living despite the terrible incidents we experience. We can either let it suck our souls and simply drift and continue on living without a purpose, or we can rise to the challenge and fight those obstacles and find meaning and joy in life. I think that is the core message of Gravity under all the breathtaking visual accomplishments. It is a simple story about survival with an impeccable performance from Sandra Bullock, breathtaking cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life), and it is technically perfect. This is probably the closest I will ever be to experiencing space. The film perfectly balances the beauty of space with its horror and you should experience it through the biggest screen your city has to offer because it is a rewarding journey.

My Review: The Descendants (7/10)

¨Goodbye, Elizabeth. Goodbye, my love, my friend, my pain, my joy. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.¨

The Descendants is a good film, but I was expecting much more from this dramedy written and directed by Alexander Payne, the man who brought us About Schmidt and Sideways. I was a huge fan of Sideways, and it had been over seven years since Payne directed another movie so I was highly anticipating this one staring George Clooney. Clooney is a great actor and this role seemed perfect for him. After hearing so much buzz from critics and the Academy about this picture, director, and performance from Clooney, my expectations grew even higher. Perhaps it was this overhype that left me a sensation of incompleteness after finishing watching The Descendants. The story was funny, but the characters weren’t as interesting as most of Payne`s characters were in other movies, and Clooney was great in the lead role, but far from being Oscar worthy in my opinion since I`ve seen far more better performances from other actors this year. Clooney is a natural and he made his performance actually seem real natural, but I thought relatively unknown Shailene Woodley stole several scenes from him. It`s hard not to like someone like Clooney with his charm and charisma, but I don’t think that`s enough to honor him with another Oscar. He did have one strong scene when he was giving his final farewell speech to his dying wife so don’t get me wrong, I did like his performance, I just expected so much more and perhaps those expectations affected my overall perception of the movie. I guess The Descendants actually had me at Payne, Clooney, and Hawaii. It was not as good as I expected, but it was still a lot of fun.

George Clooney plays a wealthy land owner from Hawaii named Matt King. His descendants used to be sort of rulers of a big island in Hawaii and therefore he and his family owned most of the land. They are receiving millionairy offers from several businessmen who want to buy the land and build beautiful resorts or shopping malls. Matt however has decided to make a living as a lawyer and spends most of his time in his office. Clooney tells us all this in voice over as he narrates how his wife had a boating accident and has been lying in a coma for the past three weeks. Meanwhile, he has no idea how to raise his nine year old daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller), who has been causing all sorts of trouble in school and at home. Matt decides it`s time to go bring his seventeen year old daughter, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), back from boarding school to help him out with Scottie. Alexandra had a big fight with her mother before the boating accident and is kind of in a rebellious stage, but decides to help out her father after realizing that her mom is not going to get better. Alexandra reveals to Matt that the reason she was fighting with her mom was because she was having an affair with another man, who they later find out to be a real estate businessman named Brian (Matthew Lillard). Alexandra and Matt decide they should find a way to confront him and so they travel to another Hawaiian island where Brian is located. Alexandra brings along one of her friends named Sid (Nick Krause) who practically follows them around everywhere not helping out much, although Matt does seek for their advice most of the time.

Payne`s film does work solidly as a decent drama with sufficient comedy to lighten up the dark subject matter of the movie. The characters are interesting, although some of the secondary characters are pretty much one dimensional. It`s still interesting to see how Clooney`s character really doesn’t know what he`s doing most of the time. He is lost, and looks for his daughter`s advice quite often. Most of the comedy comes from Payne`s script which is funny as usual, although the cast also help out a lot. I guess since I`m from South America I`m used to seeing a lot of films dealing with society and family dramas since pretty much every Latin film deals with these subject matters, so it wasn’t something new for me. Hollywood on the other hand isn’t really known for creating these quality dramas so I can see how some of the critics were blown away by this film. But if you consider other foreign films, like this year`s Iranian drama A Separation, then you will notice the difference. What Payne does best however is add some comedy into the mix and it always works well for him, although this time I thought it wasn’t up to par with his previous film Sideways. The Descendants is a good movie, with some strong performances, but I`d rather watch his previous films before watching this again. The one good thing going for this movie is the beautiful scenery set in Hawaii. I recommend this film, but just don’t go into it as hyped as I was because you could be disappointed.

 

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My Review: The Ides of March (9/10)

¨There is only one thing I value in this world and that`s loyalty; without it you`re nothing! ¨

This is the third 2011 film starring Ryan Gosling and I must say he does a great job at choosing his roles because all his movies this year were really great. He also has done very diverse roles, and this time he plays an idealistic media consultant for a presidential candidate who he admires (played by George Clooney). This is a political film that teaches us how the campaign trail works, but it also has very intense and surprising moments. I`m not a fan of political movies, but the actors and the story make Ides of March a really interesting and entertaining film. It does get the message across of how dirty politics can sometime corrupt even the most idealistic and well intentioned people. Ides of March does this very well, and it couldn`t be any other way considering George Clooney directed this piece and also contributed with the adaptation of the screenplay. The last time Clooney worked on a screenplay was in 2005 when he directed the six time Oscar nominated film Good Night and Good Luck. He did a terrific job once again with the script although he had some help from Beau Willimon who actually wrote the play in which this film is loosely based, ¨Farragut Night.¨ The performances in this film are also great. You can`t go wrong when you have the talents of George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, and Marisa Tomei. This is an all star cast and the movie would be worth watching for the performances alone, but the script is also pretty strong so this is one of the films you won`t want to miss this year.

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is working in the democratic nomination campaign for presidential candidate Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) as his media consultant. Stephen is young, but very experienced and is the best at his position. Stephen`s boss is Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who also is his personal mentor and the campaign manager. They are currently in the Ohio primaries where the race is tight between Morris and his other democratic rival, Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell). Pullman also has a very smart campaign manager who is doing his best to keep him in the fight: Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Duffy doesn`t always fight clean, he is experienced and knows how dirty politics works. Paul Zara believes the key to winning resides in the endorsement from Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), but Pullman`s people have made him a very tempting offer which Governor Mike Morris is not willing to counter offer. Morris is idealistic and doesn`t want to buy his way into the Presidential office by making offers to senators with whom he doesn`t agree. This is one of the things that Meyers admires about Morris: his honesty and integrity. During the campaign trail Meyers has a relationship with an intern, Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), and soon realizes that not everything is what it seems. There is a twist that I don`t want to give away here, but the movie then takes an unexpected turn. This is where the emotion begins and the movie picks up from here.

Ides of March may start off slow, but it`s just a delight to see these actors work together with a decent story. I wasn`t disappointed one bit, and even though I am not into politics I found myself drawn by the story. I couldn`t predict what was going to happen either since the movie takes some interesting turns involving deceptions and dirty politics. Even the most idealistic people can be corrupted by the political game and the movie makes its point. Ides of March is really worth seeing, even if you`re not into politics, because the story is engaging, the performances are great, and George Clooney never disappoints as a director. Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are always at their best, and these kinds of roles are where they excel. Ryan Gosling has had one of the best years of his life career wise: Crazy, Stupid Love, Drive, and now Ides of March; they`re all great films and Gosling gives strong performances in each. My favorite film this year so far is Drive, and his performance is just captivating in that movie. Ides of March is a movie you have to see, you won`t regret it.

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My Review: Good Night, and Good Luck (8/10)

“There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful. The instrument can teach, it can illuminate. Yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely lights and wires in a box”

Good Night, and Good Luck is a very intelligent film and it has some great performances as well as it focuses on real events from the 50`s dealing with TV journalist Edward Murrow and his confrontation with Senator McCarthy. It is a political film and one of the best movies about television journalism as well. Murrow was one of the pioneers in journalism when TV was in diapers and he set the standard for serious and intelligent news reports. This film was nominated for Best Picture in 2006, and received five other nominations although it went home empty handed. George Clooney directed this film and co-wrote it along with Grant Heslov (who later directed Clooney in The Men Who Stare at Goats) and received two nominations for it as well. His portrayal of the CBS studio feels so real and it is enhanced by filming it entirely in black and white. The atmosphere and set really contributed to the success of the film as did David Strathairn`s performance as Murrow. Clooney manages to enlighten us as to the importance of Murrow`s stand against McCarthy and warning us that sometimes patriotism disguised can be used for evil. It is not wrong to question certain acts just because we fear to be labeled unpatriotic, we must learn to question things and television can be an important instrument when serious and fair journalism takes place. The problem is that most of the time it doesn`t and TV just becomes an entertainment device. The same can be said for Hollywood and its movies, but Good Night and Good Luck is one of those rare films that enlightens us and isn`t just another popcorn flick.

We all remember studying from History class about the communist scare in the 50`s and hearing about Senator McCarthy`s communist witch hunting tactic. Clooney directs this historical event focusing on Edward Murrow´s (David Strathairn) confrontation with Senator McCarthy (himself since newsreel footage was shown every time he appeared) during his TV show on CBS. Murrow decided to expose the Senator for using the public’s fear of communism and exploiting it to accuse people of being communists without having credible evidence. CBS boss, William Paley (Frank Langella), gave Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly (George Clooney), liberty to attack the controversial Senator despite losing some important advertisers for it. The struggle came at a great cost for CBS and its crew. The film focuses entirely on this issue as we see glimpses of the early years of television and know now how several news shows have modeled themselves after this one. The only side story the movie has is that of the relationship between CBS reporters Joe Wershba (Robert Downey Jr.) and Shirley (Patricia Clarkson) who had to keep their marriage secret because CBS policy prohibited spouses to work together.

The film works very well and it sometimes has a documentary feeling to it because of the way the movie was shot in black and white. Robert Elswit does a great job with the cinematography. David Strathairn really captures Edward Murrow`s mannerism and impersonates him very well, and he is one of the reasons this film works so well. George Clooney has directed a great movie focusing on an important era for television and has written a decent script along with his close friend Grant Heslov. Overall the film works really well and manages to entertain while enlightening us at the same time. Good Night, and Good Luck is a rather short film, barely over 90 minutes long, and its title comes from Murrow´s classic farewell signature after ending each show. Dianne Reeves is shown several times throughout the film singing jazz music while we see in the background several journalists smoking and drinking margaritas, and I guessed it served to evoke the era. Clooney really did a great job of making the film look real and overall it has a nostalgic effect on the viewer over that time period where television was just being discovered.

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My Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats (5/10)

¨I did what so many men have done throughout history when a woman has broken their heart. I went to War.¨

The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those movies that really seems funnier in paper than in the big screen; it is one of those rare films in which the black humor is more effective when read then it is when executed. I laughed more reading the quotes from the film then I actually did while watching this movie. It isn`t a terrible movie and it`s short enough to not wear the viewer down, and with low expectations it can be enjoyed because there are some good performances from great actors such as George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor. Director Grant Heslov worked in the past with Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck, but in that occasion they worked together writing the screenplay which was nominated for the Oscars. In The Men Who Stare at Goats the screenplay was written by Peter Straughan and it was adapted from Jon Ronson`s book of the same name. The film claims to be inspired on some true events which is hard to believe because the film is ridiculous, but I guess it is a spoof on the psychic activities that went on in the Army. I have to give some credit to director Heslov for making a different kind of film and it is original, but it just wasn`t funny enough to save the movie even though it had such talented actors. The movie had the potential to be so much better and that is what left me disappointed by the end of the film.

Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter who has just had his heart broken by his wife that leaves him for a one armed editor. Bob is devastated and decides to go cover the war in Iraq in order to forget about her. He can`t get into Iraq so he covers the war from Kuwait where he meets a special forces operator named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Bob remembers hearing about Lyn from a report he did years ago on a man named Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) who claimed to have been trained by the US Army in paranormal and psychic activities. Gus mentioned Lyn to be the most powerful student of the group. Bob interviews Lyn and he tells him about the special Army Unit that he was trained in called the New Earth Army. The founder of the group was Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), a Vietnam veteran who travelled around the States studying the New Age movement and adapting it for the army. Lyn was the best student, but he had a rival, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) who had a different vision of the New Earth Army. The men were trained to become Jedi Warriors and the purpose was to manipulate the minds of the soldiers so they could put an end to war. The story is narrated by Bob and it has several flashbacks as he interviews Lyn while at the same time travels with him on a mission across Iraq having to experience these psychic abilities first hand.

The film has its funny moments but the pace of the movie doesn`t work very well. The performance from the cast is great, but they only remind you of the potential the film had with so many talented actors and how many other great films these actors have made. The movie also claims to be based on true events, but the film is more of a spoof and makes fun of these soldiers and it is really hard to make sense of what are the true events or what even inspired them. The funniest thing in the film is George Clooney`s hippie look with the long hair and the mustache, but you can laugh at that in the trailers. Jeff Brides also reminds us of his great character in the Big Lebowski, but as a soldier now. The movie really had some great potential, the material seemed good to work with, but the final product really didn`t deliver. The material is dark and sometimes you have to be very careful with it if you want it to work, and in The Men Who Stare at Goats it just doesn`t work.

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My Review: Up in the Air (8/10)

¨Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.¨

(8/10) That quote is just one of the many funny lines that Up in the Air has to offer. This comedy was directed by Jason Reitman who seems to be turning everything he touches into gold ever since he directed critically acclaimed movies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno. I was a huge fan of those films, especially Juno. Up in the Air may not be as good as that movie, but it still is a very funny and smart film. Juno perhaps was a little more upbeat and sort of a feel good movie, while Up in the Air has a sort of depressing air to it. I would say it is a little darker, but what this movie has going for it is that it is probably the most accurate one when considering the crisis we are going through in our society today. Most films depict a certain time period in the past and they do it extremely well, but with Up in the Air, Reitman depicts the present in such a way that it will be difficult for future movies to give a more realistic version of what our society is going through today. I think future generations will take this movie into consideration when trying to understand what happened in America during the financial crisis. Up in the Air might be a dark and difficult subject matter for many people, but the director does a great job of mixing this real life drama with comedy through the lives of a couple of characters in this film. I really enjoyed this movie and recommend it for everyone.

The main character of this film is played brilliantly by George Clooney (who will probably get another nomination for best actor for this movie). He plays Ryan Bingham, a man who spends most of his life on planes traveling from one city to another because his job requires him to do so. Ryan is very content with his job and he is very good at it as well; his mottos are ¨the slower we move the faster we die¨ and ¨moving is living.¨ He is a man that travels light and doesn`t have time for commitments or relationships. His job is a very questionable one although he doesn`t seem to mind it one bit; he fires people he doesn`t even know because the company they work for don`t have the balls to do it themselves. Ryan also gives several business conferences around the country, but his life is about to change when the company he works for wants to ground him in Omaha. This is where Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick, known for her small role in the Twilight saga) comes to play. She has introduced a new program in which each agent can contact the employee through a video conference online and fire them without having to travel; this would reduce significantly the company´s expenses. Ryan doesn´t like the idea one bit and they discuss things with their boss, Craig Gregory (played by the always funny Jason Bateman). He decides to make Natalie and Ryan travel together for a few more months so she can get a hang of things. Ryan lives a simple and uncomplicated life and he has an affair with a female version of him, Alex Goran (played by Vera Farmiga from The Departed and The Orphan) and the movie focuses mainly on these three characters.

As I said before, George Clooney does a great job carrying this movie. He plays the lead role and I would argue that his character has some similarities to him in real life. Clooney is who makes the character likeable despite his questionable profession and the audience sympathizes with him. This probably couldn`t have been done with many other actors. He also has a great script to work with just as Ellen Page did in Juno and they were the main reason both these movies were so successful. Clooney was not alone in this film; he also had great support from Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and I wouldn`t be surprised if they receive Oscar nominations as well. Farmiga was very likeable and Kendrick was probably the funniest in the movie. I didn`t know she could be so funny; she was great in every scene she was in. Up in the Air is definitely worth watching although it doesn`t have the typical upbeat ending like Juno did (and that may put some audiences off), but I really enjoyed it and think it fit this movie perfectly. This movie will be remembered when future generations want to be reminded what the current crisis looked like.