Reviews by Matt

If you have not seen the movie “Up In The Air” do not read any further.


I rewatched the movie recently and something struck me about the ending. It is very open ended. Ryan (George Clooney) is standing in an airport looking up at the departures and arrivals board. There are so many ways to read into what happens next. 1) Ryan goes back to work firing people, 2) Ryan takes Natalie’s (Anna Kendrick) advice and uses his miles and just picks a destination.

Depending on your view on the world (optimist or pessimist) it ends differently. I think it really depends on your mood at the time. In the summer when I first saw it, I was in a great mood. I had just seen a really good movie, I had gotten into Grad School and camp was going really well. I saw that ending as Ryan just picks a place and goes. His life was so secluded that he is ready to make a change. He could be going home to get to know his family or he could be going some place to make a new life.

Now I am over worked and a bit stressed out (though I have been told I hide it well) and I am not in the same mood as I was in the summer. Today my ending changed. He was going back to work. He chose to keep living his life and not making any connections.

I am sure that when I watch it again, that could change again. It is all open to interpretation and those are the endings I truly love.