Today, we went to see 'Up in the Air' with George Clooney. Despite all of it's accolades and award buzz, out of all the movies out around Xmas, this is the one that I was least likely to see. I'm not sure if it just didn't appeal to me, or it was just the subject matter... but I'm glad I saw it, since it was excellent.
I have many friends that travel a lot and have the 'chairmen's/platinum/gold' status obsessions with their airlines, car rentals and hotels. They live to keep the status level or obtain higher so they can get their free bottle of water, walk past long lines at check-in or get priority seating upgrades. And while the perks can be amazing and very convenient, there's usually an attitude that is obtained with the status level, and that's what I can't stand. Strap me to the wing if you have to, I'm a very easy traveler that doesn't require much.
This movie is about a guy who travels 350,000 miles a year with the goal of reaching the 10 million mile club to get his name on a plane. He flies around the country, hired by companies, to fire people from their jobs, as well as gives seminars on getting rid of all the things in your life that weigh you down, like possessions and relationships. He isolates himself and, while surrounded by lots of people every day, basically he is alone in life with nowhere to call home. Estranged from his family and keeping everyone at arms length, it's only when he has to train a new girl in what he does so that she can develop her software to eliminate what he does by doing it via internet, does he start to think about what his life really is about. And that it's having people around you in life that matters. I would give this movie 5 first class upgrade tickets out of 5.
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