SYNOPSIS:
Ryan Bingham (Academy Award® winner George Clooney)
is truly living the high life. Flying all over the world on
business, he never stops moving... until he meets Alex, a
fellow passenger and learns that life isn't about the journey,
but the connections we make along the way.
MOVIE REVIEW:
It is the dream job, really. Imagine having a career which allows you to fly all over the country, decked in the best looking business suit, clocking millions of frequent flyer miles. And imagine if you looked as suave as George Clooney – it’s perfect, really. The only downside? Your job needs you to fire people from theirs. This is the interesting premise of this critically acclaimed movie which swept many romantic die hards off their feet.
Clooney (an Oscar winner, nonetheless) plays Ryan Bingham, a charming smooth talker who flies around US to carry out his task of corporate downsizing – that’s firing employees to you and me. He also gives motivational speeches to people who are bogged down by emotional baggage. Of course, as much as we envy this lifestyle, there is probably a catch somewhere. A person like that is probably not close to his family, and there is probably no special person in his life. Things take a turn when his job is threatened by the technology of firing people remotely, and when he meets another individual who is also constantly traveling for work.
The setup is definitely a romanticized vision of a life we all long to have. Which is why this Jason Reitman directed movie manages to connect with many people emotionally. There is also that human desire to feel attached, which plays out as a nice contrast to the protagonist’s lifestyle. Reitman knows not to approach the movie with too much self righteousness and cynicism to make it accessible to the masses. Hence, you end up identifying with our leading man’s torment as his seemingly perfect lifestyle hits the rocks.
The only different between him and you is: You don’t look half as good as Clooney.
Here, Clooney the actor (and who can forget, director) effortlessly plays a character who obviously loves his life until reality shakes him up a bit. The transition from a cocky good looker to a sympathetic, well, still a good looker is empathetically portrayed by the seasoned actor. He is joined here by Vera Farmiga (Orphan, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) as the equally vulnerable traveler and Anna Kendrick (did you know that this fresh faced actress plays a character in the Twilight series?) as the young girl who promises more productivity and efficiency by firing people online. The ensemble delivers fine performances, which garnered three out of the six Oscar nominations during the recent Academy Awards.
When the movie’s end credits roll after 109 minutes, you would have laughed at the film’s smart humour, you would have cried at the film’s portrayal of busy urbanites, and you would have also wished that you had a debonair flair that made you as charismatic as the movie’s well written characters.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD features a Filmmakers’ Commentary by Writer/Director Jason Reitman, Direcotr of Photography Eric Steelberg and First Assistant Director Jason Blumenfeld. It was recorded during the limited theatrical release of the film, and you can hear how the trio’s chemistry worked well on set. Technical issues like lighting and how the script was written in airports are discussed. Shadowplay: Before the Story is a two odd minute clip introducing the company specializing in stop motion which produced the title sequence of the movie. There are also five Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Reitman, as well as the Teaser Trailer and Theatrical Trailer included in the platter.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The movie’s visual transfer is fine, and is available in either English or Thai on 5.1 Surround.
MOVIE RATING :
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted
on 22 August 2010 |
