"The Descendants"

There are times in our lives when our world comes crashing down and we are completely unprepared. Shocked and clueless, we grope around making awkward attempts to deal with the overwhelming situation or to just get by. Like the day my whole life was thrown out of whack when my husband of 23 years announced he wanted a divorce and moved out that afternoon. I did my share of groping to find my footing - not always handling it with the best of grace.

I guess that's why I relate to Alexander Payne's, “The Descendants.” Payne (and Oscar winning co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) aren't afraid to present a flawed main character, Matt King (George Clooney), who is absolutely clueless about how to handle the life shattering situation he finds himself in when his wife ends up in a coma as the result of a boating accident. To add insult to injury, he discovers that she was cheating on him at the time. It's a one-two punch that leaves him stunned and reeling.

Matt lives in Hawaii, in paradise, but has been so caught up in business transactions that he can't take in the beauty around him. His time has been spent negotiating deals with vacation resorts and condos to sell the pristine forest entrusted to him and the other descendants. This piece of land represents all that he has lost in his life. There was a time that he took his family on regular camping trips there. But he has lost his connection with the land and his family. He has become an absentee husband and father. In fact, he is absent from his own life.

Sometimes it takes a catastrophic event to shake us awake after sleep walking through life. (It took my husband leaving me...) Having been JOLTED awake, Matt is ill equipped to deal with the fall out from the accident on his two troubled daughters. George Clooney brings out the humor as his character gropes around trying to make some sense of the whole mess. When he hears that his wife was cheating, Matt, still in shock, charges off in his clumsy flip flops around a ridiculous circular drive – in search of answers, anything... Later, we can see the inner turmoil in his eyes even as his daughter splashes in the ocean and life goes on around him. Once he has dealt with his own issues, he is better equipped to help others cope with the tragedy. Finally fully awake, Matt sees that he is a part of something bigger than himself. He realizes his responsibility to the land, himself, and those around him. Procuring his place in the world puts his problems in perspective.

As for me, I'm grateful to be awake and learning life's lessons.

Movie blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com

"Up in the Air"

ZIP up the carry-on bag, SNAP up the handle, ROLL up to the gate, and V.I.P. through the automatic check-in machine. ZIP. SNAP. ROLL. VIP. "It's a pleasure to see you again Mr. Bingham." In V.I.P. time, Ryan Bingham is "Up in the Air."

This is the structured, comfortable life of Corporate Downsizing Expert and elite frequent flyer Ryan Bingham (brilliantly played by George Clooney.) Bingham happily travels 322 days a year. He is on the verge of achieving his ultimate goal - to win a golden card for earning ten million frequent flyer hours. And he has just met the frequent flyer woman of his dreams, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) - a sexually adventurous woman with no excess baggage.

After watching his motivational speech in the trailer, I was in no hurry to see the film. (I'll edit it here for brevity.) "Imagine that you're carrying a back pack...Pack it with all the stuff in your life...How much does your life weigh?...Now fill it with people...Feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake, your relationships are the heaviest components in your life." What has become of our country when a Corporate Downsizing Expert is considered a motivational speaker?! Our hero is a successful jerk who can't be bothered with people.


I opted for another movie on Christmas Day, but I couldn't help noticing that "Up in the Air" was sold out. Later, I looked it up on-line and found out that it was popping up on some best films lists. What did these people know that I didn't? Was it George Clooney's smile?

I saw it the next day. I was delighted to discover that "Up in the Air" was a charming, witty, and ultimately poignant film in the tradition of Prestin Sturge's smart comedies. Kudos to director/co-writer Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Thank You for Smoking"), co-writer Sheldon Turner, and an award winning ensemble cast.

Bingham flies from city to city firing unsuspecting corporate employees. He handles his job with the necessary objectivity while treating his victims with as much dignity as he can muster. He gives them a package that includes their severance benefits and a plan for reclaiming their unrealized dreams. No doubt it is a great comfort to get "up and away" from it all.

Bingham is in danger of being grounded when an Ivy League graduate Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) develops a plan to save travel costs by firing people via video conferencing. Bingham's comfortable routine is challenged when he is forced to take Natalie on the road to show her the ropes. She observes, "You have set up a way of life that makes it impossible for you to have any kind of human connection." I found myself rooting for this self-centered man to finally grow and learn how to connect with other people.

"Up in the Air" reminds us that in these difficult times, we need to come down to earth and find strength in our connections with others. One thumb way "Up in the Air."

Movie blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com

"Michael Clayton"

I thought I'd give you one more inspiring film to catch before the Oscars Sunday night: best picture nominee "Michael Clayton."

There are always those films that miss my radar when they first come out. The trailer made "Michael Clayton" out to be just another downbeat legal thriller. Luckily, a fellow movie lover recommended it as the best movie of the year so I saw it Monday and again yesterday. I enjoyed this well written adult drama even better the second time around. I apologize for not reviewing this extraordinary film sooner. But you can still catch it at the second run theaters.
George Clooney gives an Oscar caliber performance as the world weary "fixer" in a law firm that is defending their biggest client U/North against a multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit regarding their toxic weed killer. Michael's personal ethics are tested when his friend, the brilliant but guilt-ridden lead attorney Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) snaps, and Michael is called to clean up his mess.

We've seen this obvious (and tired) theme of corporate corruption before. But this movie has more to say. It brings up the question of who is really crazy: the bi-polar attorney who believes he has been called on a quest of redemption to stop the evil corporation or the U/North corporation who is willing to literally kill people in order put the firm and it's stockholders in the "most financially advantageous position." As a society, have we become so jaded that we see someone who doesn't have a financial motivation to help others as crazy? Don't miss this inspiring story of moral responsibility and redemption.

Tom Wilkinson, who also gave an Oscar nominated performance in "In the Bedroom" gives a strong, Oscar worthy performance here. Though Javier Bardem is considered the favorite to win best supporting actor for his work in “No Country for Old Men, ” in my opinion Tom Wilkinson gives a much more dynamic performance. Tilda Swinton, who plays the cold, controlled U/North litigator, is also nominated for best supporting actress. But I prefer Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" or Rudy Dee in "American Gangster" (for her life's work) or young Saoirse Rona in "Atonement."

OSCAR UPDATE:
So of course, Tilda Swinton won the only statue for Michael Clayton. And thank Heavens she did. She gave an entertaining speech, teasing fellow nominee George Clooney and appropriately giving credit to writer/director Tony Gilroy.

So this gives you one more "Reel Inspiration film" to root for during the Oscars Sunday. For a complete list of nominees, scroll down to 2007 Academy Award Nominees.

Movie Blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com