Viewed on DVD, August 2010
One of the top Oscar contenders for 2009. George Clooney. Airplanes. Dry humor. Original plot. Sounds like a great movie, no? Well...I'm not so sure anymore. This movie was so full of sexual overtones, foul language, and compromised morals that it got in the way of my enjoyment of the storyline.The story is very original; it's about a man whose entire life is wrapped up in his job which is firing other people from their jobs. He finds a woman who wants a no-strings-attached sexual encounter, and he finds out that no-strings-attached is really impossible. As he's struggling to keep his job the way he likes it, another character comes in fresh from college and tries to revolutionize the business of laying off people. She doesn't understand the human impact, and the male character tries to make her see things his way. Along the way, her views on relationships begin to impact his ideas of what life is all about.
Clooney's character is likable but I felt sorry for him during most of the movie. He's searching for meaning and truth in life, and he's not finding it. His entire life is wrapped up in traveling and performing well in his job. Even when he meets a woman whom he likes and has a few *ahem* encounters with, he still doesn't feel fulfilled. The majority of this film spends time showing us how people who have no families or broken families try to cope with life--basically, that family is the foundation for happiness and satisfaction. But it doesn't say that in so many words; we as the moviegoers have to figure it out by association. Clooney's character doesn't reach this realization until the very end of the film, and even then a betrayal and huge lie undermines his perception of the true meaning of family.
This movie is definitely screwed up in some of its morals--for example, characters have chance encounters and take them into almost-no-strings-attached sexual romps (one or two are encouraged by the presence of alot of alcohol). Clooney's character teaches a morally ambiguous motivational conference that is confusing. Alot of characters casually let profanity fly.
However, I actually enjoyed this film. It was fresh, original, and different. It also had a unique feel and style, setting it apart from other films. The overall feel of it was very indie-ish, in that it felt like it was telling a story in a casual, easygoing way.
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity assaults the moviegoer, often and without apology. The most popular offense is the F-word--Plugged In counts around 25 uses of it. My family uses a TV Guardian to block most of the profanity, but even then we can tell what the word is and it's distracting. Most of the language is unnecessary and could be done away with, without affecting the movie. Other words are used casually and are actually even encouraged.
>>Violence is not really used in this film, except for one or two disgruntled employees taking revenge on their former employers. One person commits suicide (we don't see it) and other characters talk about it.
>>Not much spiritual content beyond one or two offhand comments.
>>Alcohol is used often and in excess. It's actually socially acceptable to these characters, and even expected out of "cool" people.
>>Sexual content is pretty uninhibited, even going so far as to include a long drawn-out shot of a nude woman's backside. Characters talk about encounters, mishaps, and speak in double entendres alot. The sanctity of marriage is talked about and abused by one character when it's found out that there is a major adulterous relationship happening.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie but couldn't quite get past the large amount of profanity and gratuitous sex enough to really like it. I definitely would not recommend this film for kids or even teenagers. It is not appropriate nor does it apologize for it.
That being said, I think that this film has alot of good messages sandwiched in between its offensive content. It speaks alot about the "price of relationships--and the cost of life without them." (Plugged In) Clooney's pitiful character is reaching for the meaning of life, while ignoring the core of life. He also never looks to the only relationship that can satisfy his innate longing for satisfaction--the relationship between God and man. He tries to help newly unemployed people find hope and optimism, but he's stuck in his lonely rut, trucking along towards a miserable goal without any real relationships. This movie has alot of good food for thought, but be forewarned that it comes with a heavy price of profanity, alcohol, and sex.
4 out of 6 stars
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