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In many respects, the best part of the Christmas season for me begins on December 26th. Which is to say, the busyness and anxiety falls off dramatically and I can enjoy some time together with family to read cards, visit with friends, and watch movies. Not to mention graze like a happy Hereford on all the holiday leftovers.
We started out this year’s movie going with “It’s Complicated,” starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, as formerly married 50-somethings having an extramarital affair 15 years after their divorce.
Although the premise was clever, don’t look for the movie to win any major awards. Still, because it dealt with many of the travails of my age group and featured some funny scenes between Streep and Baldwin (not to mention Steve Martin who played a lesser role), it hit the spot.
The most poignant scene in the movie is when Baldwin, in trying to convince a reluctant Streep that the affair is a good thing, points out that their kids are raised and their jobs secure — so they now have the time and energy to be the people they wanted to be to one another in the first place.
A couple of nights later we watched “Whatever Works,” a film written and directed by Woody Allen. Larry David stars as Boris Yellnikoff, a brilliant and arrogant string theorist who rants monologues directly into the camera about how people are too stupid to be depressed in this Godless, hostile and indifferent universe.
Despite Allen’s clever one-liners, this one won’t win any awards either. But the questions it poses about modern life and relationships intrigued me as it explored aging, anxiety, love and chance. My favorite quote was uttered by David’s character, Boris, at the movie’s end, as he celebrated New Year’s with the movie’s other oddly matched characters, "My story is, whatever works as long as you don't hurt anybody. Any way you can filch a little joy in this cruel and pointless life. That's my story."
Next day, we traveled to Joplin to see “Up In The Air, a movie about a high-flying executive in pursuit of millions of frequent-flyer miles, accrued as he continually travels the country (322 days a year). It stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a hired gun whose specialty is the dirty work some corporate bosses don't like to do themselves — firing employees.
Bingham, who gets members-only treatment at airports, car rental desks and hotels, picks up one of his own, Alex (co-star Vera Farmiga), in a lounge one night and impresses her with his proximity to attaining 10 million-mile frequent-flyer status. He also gives motivational speeches on how you should be able to fit all that's important to you into a backpack (and practices what he preaches by traveling with just one carry-on and living in an apartment in Omaha that is as sparsely furnished as a motel room).
Into Bingham’s carefree world comes Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a business school whiz who convinces the boss he can cut business expenses by firing people by video conferencing. After protesting it will not work, Ryan is assigned to take the 20-something hotshot on a tour to show her how he does it before attempting the change to video.
Though not perfect, this movie is far and away the best of the three I saw, as it explored many of the same basic ideas as the others about human existence in a more nuanced and well-crafted way (the transitional overhead shots of planes approaching cities around the country are magnificent — as is the film’s overall editing).
The timely scenes of fired workers’ disbelief, anger, betrayal, and despair are painfully real, as is the reality that someone as tenured, accomplished and talented as Ryan could suddenly be perceived as a replaceable due to technological advances.
Then there’s the young hotshot Natalie, who thinks she has it all figured out — with career, relationship and life path all set onto a schedule — getting a dose of the reality that turns her world upside down.
Ryan’s ultimately dragged into direct personal connection when he attends the northern Wisconsin wedding of his younger sister with Alex. In a clever twist of irony, he uses his negotiating skills to successfully convince the groom, who’s gotten cold feet, to follow through with marrying with his sister.
When the hesitant groom delivers a “life is pointless” speech much the same as Boris’ monologues in “Whatever Works,” Ryan shrugs uncomfortably and agrees with him — then goes on to point out that when he came to this realization, the night before, he was all alone, suggesting that, even if life’s pointless, it’s better to go through it with someone you love.
As for Ryan, the family experience breaks through his aloof shell but — as the final scenes in the movie show — living too much of his life as a high roller ‘up in the air’ may have sealed his fate to a life without deep personal connections.
Taken collectively, what I got from the three movies is this: Life, at times, seems pointless. Even when it’s not, it certainly is complicated — difficult. And most times it doesn’t turn out quite like you planned. Regardless, little joys come along when you least expect them. And having someone you love with whom you can both celebrate the joys and trudge through the miseries is about as much as anyone could ask for.
J.T. Knoll is a writer, speaker and prevention and wellness coordinator at Pittsburg State University. He also operates Knoll Training, Consulting & Counseling Services in Pittsburg. He can be reached at 231-0499 or jtknoll@swbell.net
In many respects, the best part of the Christmas season for me begins on December 26th. Which is to say, the busyness and anxiety falls off dramatically and I can enjoy some time together with family to read cards, visit with friends, and watch movies. Not to mention graze like a happy Hereford on all the holiday leftovers.
We started out this year’s movie going with “It’s Complicated,” starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, as formerly married 50-somethings having an extramarital affair 15 years after their divorce.
Although the premise was clever, don’t look for the movie to win any major awards. Still, because it dealt with many of the travails of my age group and featured some funny scenes between Streep and Baldwin (not to mention Steve Martin who played a lesser role), it hit the spot.
The most poignant scene in the movie is when Baldwin, in trying to convince a reluctant Streep that the affair is a good thing, points out that their kids are raised and their jobs secure — so they now have the time and energy to be the people they wanted to be to one another in the first place.
A couple of nights later we watched “Whatever Works,” a film written and directed by Woody Allen. Larry David stars as Boris Yellnikoff, a brilliant and arrogant string theorist who rants monologues directly into the camera about how people are too stupid to be depressed in this Godless, hostile and indifferent universe.
Despite Allen’s clever one-liners, this one won’t win any awards either. But the questions it poses about modern life and relationships intrigued me as it explored aging, anxiety, love and chance. My favorite quote was uttered by David’s character, Boris, at the movie’s end, as he celebrated New Year’s with the movie’s other oddly matched characters, "My story is, whatever works as long as you don't hurt anybody. Any way you can filch a little joy in this cruel and pointless life. That's my story."
Next day, we traveled to Joplin to see “Up In The Air, a movie about a high-flying executive in pursuit of millions of frequent-flyer miles, accrued as he continually travels the country (322 days a year). It stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a hired gun whose specialty is the dirty work some corporate bosses don't like to do themselves — firing employees.
Bingham, who gets members-only treatment at airports, car rental desks and hotels, picks up one of his own, Alex (co-star Vera Farmiga), in a lounge one night and impresses her with his proximity to attaining 10 million-mile frequent-flyer status. He also gives motivational speeches on how you should be able to fit all that's important to you into a backpack (and practices what he preaches by traveling with just one carry-on and living in an apartment in Omaha that is as sparsely furnished as a motel room).
Into Bingham’s carefree world comes Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a business school whiz who convinces the boss he can cut business expenses by firing people by video conferencing. After protesting it will not work, Ryan is assigned to take the 20-something hotshot on a tour to show her how he does it before attempting the change to video.
Though not perfect, this movie is far and away the best of the three I saw, as it explored many of the same basic ideas as the others about human existence in a more nuanced and well-crafted way (the transitional overhead shots of planes approaching cities around the country are magnificent — as is the film’s overall editing).
The timely scenes of fired workers’ disbelief, anger, betrayal, and despair are painfully real, as is the reality that someone as tenured, accomplished and talented as Ryan could suddenly be perceived as a replaceable due to technological advances.
Then there’s the young hotshot Natalie, who thinks she has it all figured out — with career, relationship and life path all set onto a schedule — getting a dose of the reality that turns her world upside down.
Ryan’s ultimately dragged into direct personal connection when he attends the northern Wisconsin wedding of his younger sister with Alex. In a clever twist of irony, he uses his negotiating skills to successfully convince the groom, who’s gotten cold feet, to follow through with marrying with his sister.
When the hesitant groom delivers a “life is pointless” speech much the same as Boris’ monologues in “Whatever Works,” Ryan shrugs uncomfortably and agrees with him — then goes on to point out that when he came to this realization, the night before, he was all alone, suggesting that, even if life’s pointless, it’s better to go through it with someone you love.
As for Ryan, the family experience breaks through his aloof shell but — as the final scenes in the movie show — living too much of his life as a high roller ‘up in the air’ may have sealed his fate to a life without deep personal connections.
Taken collectively, what I got from the three movies is this: Life, at times, seems pointless. Even when it’s not, it certainly is complicated — difficult. And most times it doesn’t turn out quite like you planned. Regardless, little joys come along when you least expect them. And having someone you love with whom you can both celebrate the joys and trudge through the miseries is about as much as anyone could ask for.
J.T. Knoll is a writer, speaker and prevention and wellness coordinator at Pittsburg State University. He also operates Knoll Training, Consulting & Counseling Services in Pittsburg. He can be reached at 231-0499 or jtknoll@swbell.net
