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Home » Reviews

Up In The Air: The Ultimate Travel Movie?

Modified: Feb 15, 2020 · Published: Dec 30, 2009 by Dave Lee |

One of my family's Christmas traditions is to go see a movie together. 

This year, a consensus was formed around George Clooney's new one, Up In The Air. 

I rarely go to the theater to see movies anymore, however, I was curious to see this one as it was being mentioned a lot on Twitter (and 99% of the people I follow on Twitter live and breathe all things "travel").

The movie revolves around Clooney's character, who spends 300+ days a year crisscrossing the United States by plane in order to lay people off at corporations. 

I'm sure business travelers and frequent fliers will get a kick out of the meticulous approach the character has developed toward efficiently moving in, around, and out of airports. 

While I still prefer a backpack to rolling luggage, I could appreciate his appreciation for being able to travel with only one carry on bag. 

It's liberating, though increasingly difficult as airport security rules continue to change.

And his goal for accumulating frequent flier miles is hard for this flier to imagine, yet apparently people have reached the figure in real life.

The monologue in the trailer above caught my attention when it was recited early in the movie because you don't normally associate backpacks with business travelers. 

Yet the message being delivered was right up my alley, "moving is living" and material possessions have a way of weighing you down. 

Meanwhile, the approach to the trailer itself seems to seriously underplay the role of relationships in the movie.

Clooney's character has two worth noting. The first is a petite young woman who is told to shadow him as he goes about the business of firing people, one by one. 

The second is a liaison he develops with another business traveler, a woman that purports to be the female version of him (meaning comfortable with no-strings-attached sex). 

As the movie unfolds, Clooney's character and unique approach toward lifestyle design is challenged by both of these new ladies in his life.

There were many poignant moments in the movie. Two stand out the most to me. 

First, while Clooney is trying to help a newly fired guy see the bright side of his situation, he talks about how the situation is an opportunity for the guy to revisit his love of cooking, versus finding another soulless office job. 

I could relate to this, not that my last job was soulless, but it wasn't my life's passion. 

The dialogue in this scene reminded me of Gary Vaynerchuk's book, Crush It!

In a later scene, Clooney is talking to his sister's fiance who experiences last-minute cold feet about the wedding. 

Despite all the traveling Clooney does, his rootless existence, the perceived lack of long term relationships, and his distant family connections, he still finds it in himself to say that experiences are better when shared. 

This was the #1 lesson I learned on my RTW trip. As much as I enjoy the feeling of independence when backpacking alone, I'm rarely alone. 

In fact, more often than not, I'm seeking out new friends and connections everywhere I go because I relish the companionship they offer, however brief at times.

Is Up In The Air the ultimate travel movie?

No, I don't think so.  And it's not the happiest movie either.  However, I thought it was worth the price of admission for the story, the cast, including George Clooney, Jason Batemen, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick, and the soundtrack.

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About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. craigzabransky says

    December 30, 2009 at 11:49 am

    I have yet to see the film, but it is a must see. As a "retired" global management consultant I am most curious to see how they portray the thirst for miles, elite status, upgrades, and essentially all other aspects of business travel. Plus, great catch/comment on the soul-less job, I tend to agree, my new life is much closer to my passion. Onwards and upwards.

    stay adventurous,
    Craig

  2. Adam says

    December 30, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Did you stay through the end credits? One of the songs was a lucky break for a singer-songwriter! and makes the movie seem happier than it is!

  3. JourneyWithJanelle says

    December 30, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    I just saw the film last night. I found it an accidental therapy session for travelers. It forced me to ask myself tough questions like "Am I only traveling because I'm running away?" and "Are you still able to connect with people on a human level even though you aren't always physically present?" I really enjoyed being asked those questions and appreciated how well the movie captured the "culture" of traveling- i.e. the packing, getting through security, lounges, miles collection, etc.

  4. carlhancock says

    December 30, 2009 at 2:32 pm

    Have you seen The Art of Travel? It's an indie flick about travel... with a Columbia tie in as part of the movie revolves crossing the Darien Gap. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised by it.

    Here is the trailer:

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=y2ACldThrBA

    Some of the locations visited in the movie are Nicaragua, Panama, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia.

  5. Jessica says

    December 30, 2009 at 3:55 pm

    Love, love, love this movie-coming from a gal preparing to depart on a year long round the world trip with my husband. The film spoke to me in a variety of ways, the most poignant being a firm affirmation that my husband and I are making the right decision. The movie could not have come at a better time in our lives as many of our friends and family unabashedly shared their qualms with out upcoming trip over the holiday- how silly it was that we sold our house, how stupid we are to quite our 'great' jobs (merely because they pay well and have benefits) in this economic crisis, how dangerous the world is and how ridiculous we are to give everything we own up to live out of a backpack. After we were served up plenty of guilt trips and dream bashing we needed this movie to improve moral and remind us why we have made the decision to leave it all behind-for us! For us to travel, to see, to learn, to grow, to live.

  6. Dave says

    December 30, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Hi Jessica,

    Great to hear from you, and you must be so excited to leave on your RTW trip in less than 48 hours! Those last pre-departure hours were some of my favorites. Looks like you have a great blog going, and once your family and friends start to read about your adventures, you should hopefully see them start to see the light.

    I think it's especially hard for our parents' generation to understand the logic, but I've yet to hear from a person who has taken a RTW and regretted it. And I started listening for those people 7 years ago. :)

  7. Dave says

    December 30, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    Hey Carl,

    I hadn't heard of the Art of Travel but it looks awesome. I'll definitely be checking it out - thanks for the recommendation. Looks like it came out in 2008 when I was on my trip.

  8. Dave says

    December 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Hey Adam, yes, as the credits rolled and we walked out, we caught the recording from that guy in the CBS article (thanks for sharing the link). I made a comment about how the movie didn't need yet another somber song.

    But, I like somber songs, so I enjoyed the whole soundtrack, and it fit the movie. Just not what I expected on Christmas!

  9. Dave says

    December 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Hey Craig - I think this movie will be right up your alley.

  10. Carl Hancock says

    December 30, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    I had not heard of it either and then I stumbled upon the web site for the movie. I don't think it was in theaters... appears to be direct to DVD and very little exposure. It is by no means B movie quality as far as production goes, the production was top notch and it clearly was shot on location in a variety of places... including Cusco and Machu Picchu.

    After stumbling upon it I was able to "acquire" it over the internet... hit me up on twitter via DM (@carlhancock) and i'd be glad to assist you if you have trouble finding it.

    • lifeadventure says

      November 15, 2010 at 12:30 am

      Hi! People have been asking about the movie "Somewhere" from the same filmmakers who did "The Art of Travel". I just found it and its available on itunes for rent. I know that doesn't help anyone over seas but its starting to appear on more and more online sites.

  11. michaelapotter says

    December 30, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    I haven't seen the movie yet, but those who have have told me that it reminded them a lot of Briefcase to Backpack. Maybe George Clooney's character could have used us as a resource for those he was laying off ;)

  12. Dave says

    December 30, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    Wow, that's surprising considering they do appear to get around in the
    trailer, and there are some quality actors (I'm a Brooke Burke fan).

    I think I'll buy it on DVD, I got a Cox letter after trying to nab True
    Blood earlier this year, so I'm trying to be good (for now).

  13. foggodyssey says

    January 04, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    Carl- Did you ever get to see the movie "Somewhere" as well? It was made by the same people and was their first movie but I can't find it anywhere on DVD. Seemed like a kick-ass flick and below is the movie title description. There was some info about it in the link you posted for "The Art of Travel."

    Somewhere (2004)
    Thousands of miles from home, American travelers Ben (Brian LaBelle) and Lauri (Laura Mazur) meet and soon become smitten. As the couple travels through Thailand and Malaysia, they begin questioning the direction of their lives and explore the possibility of a future together. This compelling love story showcases an abundance of beautiful locations including Buddhist temples, public markets and pristine beaches.

    Starring: Laura Mazur, Brian LaBelle
    Director: Thomas Whelan
    Genre: Drama

  14. Dave says

    January 04, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    I watched the trailer for Somewhere and it looked good. It appears that you can rent it through Netflix though that doesn't help you in Ecuador.

  15. Teisha Varnedoe says

    October 29, 2010 at 12:27 am

    I definitely enjoyed this post. We (as a community), appreciate it. I own a similar blog on this subject. Do you mind if I link to this write-up on my site?

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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