With shameful, appalling disregard for the traveling elite, Paramount Pictures has disappointingly released “Up in the Air” today. The film is billed as a comedy-drama about a corporate specialist who travels 85% of the time. It is more like a horror film, however, doing as much a disservice for tourism and travel as “Planes Trains and Automobiles” (also by Paramount) and the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (Warner Bros.) collection.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate “Termination Facilitator” who ends up (unwillingly) on a moral crusade of sorts that explores the lifestyle choices he has made. The plot centers around the man’s relative complacence with his job, and a twist on his social life initiated by the female antagonist who forces him to rethink his otherwise swell existence. What follows is one hour and 48 minutes of the most blatantly disgusting anti-traveler propaganda your eyes will ever see.
The film starts off well enough; Ryan flying, Ryan doing his job, Ryan flying some more. The premise really has potential until Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) enters frame and destroys any semblance of plot. No more flying?! I nearly lost my Milk Duds and half gallon of Coke.
The rest of the film is devoted to destroying public perception of passionate flyers around the globe. No mention is made of the few “bad apples” that do ruin some personal travel experiences. Instead we are lumped together and stereotyped until we are nothing but mere winged cockroaches buzzing over the honorable and innocent heads of the annoyed public. This atrocity is only further exacerbated by the anti-traveler program jungle-fever-esque relationship between what I’ll call a Ground-dweller Femme Fatale and our dear Ryan.
I question Paramount’s intentions with this film. The statement they are making is unclear. Movie-makers are some of the biggest travelers. From private jets and trailers, to the millions of dollars of equipment that must be shipped on location, we know that without travel Hollywood would die. The hypocrisy is clear. The writers of this film (and novel) must be held accountable for the irreversible personal damage this surely will cause.
What’s next Paramount? Are you going to single out Bearded people? Oh wait, you already did. You make me sick.
(Disclaimer: If you haven’t guessed already, I have not actually seen this film. I read a synopsis, only. Nevertheless, 100% of the above is true. Hope you enjoyed it.)
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Battered Baggage 