Up in the Air -- it's a nice adult film

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2011)

I'm not sure what percentage of movies are about the complexity of meeting the right person in this day and age, but it's got to be 30 percent or more. I find it interesting how these kinds of films have evolved over the years, from the simplistic, hyper-romantic films you got pre-1970s to movies like Up in the Air and Love and Other Drugs, both of which are good movies.
Recently I saw When Harry Met Sally again and loved it, but what made that film interesting at the time was the non-traditional way the two main characters came together, first disliking each other on a road trip, meeting in an airport and then finally becoming friends despite Billy Crystal's relationship law #1 that "men and women cannot be friends." I loved When Harry Met Sally, but it's amazing that in just 20 years that film's dated that story's plot now seems when compared with Up in the Air, which follows the life of Ryan, a professional hit man, who flies from city to city firing people instead of killing them.
He's good at his job and enjoys traveling all over the country, amassing frequent flier miles while easing people out of their jobs. At some point along the way, Ryan (played by George Clooney) he meets the character played by Vera Farmiga, a fellow business traveler. After a nice little fling, they decided to synchronize their schedules when possible so they can continue their "casual" relationship whenever they can. But as the story moves along, you see Clooney's character start to question his philosophy of life (it's easier to travel with an empty backpack than a full one) as he begins developing a deeper interest in Farmiga's character, something he eventually decides he wants to pursue beyond the limits of hotel rooms. It's a nice, subtle film that's well acted and scripted, painting what I think is a fairly realistic, yet entertaining, picture of the complexity of white-collar relationships.
I'm guessing Love and Other Drugs, UP in the Air and 500 Days (of Summer) simply reflect back to the audience the changing nature of relationships. If you liked any of those films, DO NOT SEE the movie It's Complicated, one of the worst and most predictable films I've seen in years. Trust me on this.