Comments on: Up in the Air

By: John Toner

John Toner — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:47:51 +0000

I’ve got to agree with Shane on this one. Johnny “Noir” seems to be in the dark on ABOUT A BOY. (And in general, for that matter.) He’s the one who seems obsessed. With Vera Farmiga, in his case.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:13:54 +0000

A) Touche on “memorably”. Nice proofreading, Shane…

B) The six year-old comment has nothing to do with the kid in the movie, and everything to do with your oddly infantile take on this argument. Are the themes of The Wrestler and Crazy Heart nothing alike because one has guys in spandex and the other doesn’t? I’m beginning to think you’re just baiting me here.

C) It is only creepy if you think the person who helps you “connect with life” has to have a sexual connotation. A lot of people change when they have kids. Hugh doesn’t have one, but this sort of stand-in opens him up to the benefits of human interaction (though I myself am starting to question those benefits after being on this board), and Vera does the same for George in Up in the Air.

D) I will be happy to help you discover the themes of other movies too, since you seem to have some difficulty with it. For example…

Grizzly Bear – Wild animals are not your friends, no matter how much you would like them to be.
A Serious Man – There is a God, and he’s pretty vengeful.
Fantastic Mr. Fox – There’s a thin line between “charming rogue” and “irresponsibly dangerous”, and it takes a tricky bloke to walk it.
Hurt Locker – Ditto.

By: Johnny Noir

Johnny Noir — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:32:01 +0000

RE: SHANE’S ABOUT A BOY “THEME”
First, look again: “memorably” DOES have an “e” in it, man. Check it out.
Second, Shane says something about a “six year-old” in reference to the “boy”. I believe the kid is more like “12″, isn’t he? If not, he’s a really BIG 6 year old. I may be wrong on this, though, since I’m not an “expert” on the film.
And then to compare Vera Farmiga’s character to the boy’s role in helping the protagonist to “connect with life”? Ah, this is starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I mean, when you think about it that’s a little disturbing, isn’t it?
But I DID find Shane’s comments helpful in pointing out the “theme” of ABOUT A BOY. Interesting. I didn’t even know that the film HAD a theme.
I still don’t see any ducks or guitars in UP IN THE AIR, though, so, despite Shane’s engaging entry, I’m still skeptical about the aptness of the comparison. Maybe after you’ve seen the film dozens of times, like he has, it starts to make sense. Hmmm. Maybe.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:52:12 +0000

A) “memorably” contains no “e”

B) If the “theme” of About a Boy were duck-killing or guitar-playing, that would be a valid point, instead a six year-old’s retort. No, the theme of About a Boy is learning that isolation and insulation, which once seemed to be so appealing, may not be so great after all. That sounds a lot like Up in the Air to me. At least in THEME if not in DETAILS. (Vera Farmiga would actually be the “boy” stand-in, the one who helps the protagonist connect with life, if we’re going to insist upon this little game where everything must match up perfectly)

By: Johnny Noir

Johnny Noir — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:08:24 +0000

SHANE’S “ABOUT A BOY” REFERENCE – AGAIN!
How did I miss Shane’s reference to ABOUT A BOY in this movie post? What is it up with that movie?
Similar to UP IN THE AIR?
Maybe I dozed off, but I don’t remember the part in UP IN THE AIR where George Clooney kills a duck with a loaf of bread. Or the part where he’s playing the guitar when he helps his young associate fire people. Is it the cool bachelor pads that link the movies?
And if Clooney is the Hugh Grant parallel, does that make Anna Kendrick the about a “boy” stand-in? And Vera Farmiga is the Toni Collette character?
I’m confused!
Or did Clooney and Grant once memorabley star together in the same movie, is that the link? Was it Ocean’s 13?
Somebody help me here.

By: Marguerite Gavidia

Marguerite Gavidia — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:35:41 +0000

I heard that he was quite keen do a Coronation Street cameo! lmao. Not sure how true this is, has anyone else heard it? There’s a bit of me that kind of wishes this is not true lol.

By: Jim Sanders

Jim Sanders — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:41:05 +0000

Saw it over the weekend. A big fan of Jason Reitman, he is in his stride. And the film was honest and poignant with the perspectives of the “terminated”.
wonderful gift at end of film during the credits, but I just ask that you sit through them for the gift.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:25:35 +0000

I just saw this and liked it quite a bit. Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno) is batting a thousand as far as I’m concerned. I am definitely not trying to start an argument, but Up in the Air is thematically very similar to About a Boy, of which I am on record as being a fan. Both films are alike in tone, and even some of the music choices in Up in the Air echo About a Boy’s. In any case, I also recommend seeing this at the Ambler. There’s even a trailer for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus in front of it right now, so that should be some extra encouragement!