I watched the movie unfold with giddy anticipation- it had been a long time since I had seen a film for adults by adults- the last one was An Education. I am nervous. This movie is making all sorts of "best of 2009" lists. What is wrong with me? I am usually pretty forgiving especially considering that at this point, I will see everything that Jason Reitman directs. I know Clooney received a GG nomination already. I wanted to like it, I really did. Anthony Lane (The New Yorker review) convinced me that I would. An adult movie- a female that could keep up with George Clooney in the gorgeous form of Vera Farmiga. A timely piece about the down sizing of American companies. The quirky and likeable Anna Kendrick. But here was my problem- I did not for one minute believe that the gorgeous form that is George Clooney, was a single, lonely man living in Omaha, NE, flying over America, firing people and losing his soul along the way. HE IS WAY TOO, how do you say it, GEORGE CLOONEY. Not enough of the "every man" in him by a long shot. It is clear why he attached himself to the project- I would have said yes to any opportunity to work with Reitman too - but I could not get passed his overall worldliness and yumminess. Leave a comment and tell me who you think would have been a better male lead...
Now, the women on the other hand- wow! Of course I have heard of "chewing up the scenery" before, but the expression took on a whole new meaning with Farmiga and Kendrick thrown into the mix. Every time they were on the screen, it was as though the movie woke up, lit a match, and set the screen on fire.
Jason Reitman knows how to direct women. Strong and fiery without being domineering (Farmiga). Naive and droll without being a pushover (Anna Kendrick). Smart, quirky and confident without being marginalized (Emily Page in Juno) and stiff, preppy and uptight without being a bitch (Jennifer Garner in Juno).
Yes, I know that the female characters have much to do with the writing but there is something refreshingly both old(think Kate Hepurn in any of her roles) and new in the way that Jason Reitman directs his female characters. More on this later.
Now speaking of female characters, I am going to see It's Complicated today. Lisa Schwartzbaum already wrote a great review of the movie in Entertainment Weekly. Nancy Myers is also a director who I follow and will see everything she directs but I am already intuiting some problems with this one.... Tune in for my impressions...
i agree with your views on the female characters. What a disappointment this movie was to me...George Clooney seemed like he was playing George Clooney playing an executive. I so wanted to love this movie, and instead found it depressing to watch.
ReplyDeleteI come from a different perspective. Having been in a large corporation, the entire premise of having outsiders fire your employees is totaling contrary to reality. That is not the way it happens and certain doing remote web cast is absurd. Mr. Clooney's character aspires to stay in third rate hotel's and become the ultimate frequent flyer is also very difficult to believe. I am used to Hollywood taking license with reality, but this is so wrong. The most pleasant was his character being hit in the face with the reality of his empty life. I would rate this film a solid C, despite all of the buzz surrounding it.
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