Up in the Air: Reality is Harsh
Now it may seem like an odd choice to go see a movie like Up in the Air on the first day of a new year. It’s not exactly a light-hearted comedy or something fluffy. It deals with some harsh realities: layoffs, broken relationships, technology changing the landscape of work, the intersection of work and life, and how life doesn’t often work out how we want or plan for. This is exactly why I thought it was such a good movie to see, today of all days. That, and it has George Clooney in it. I mean, dude. Hawt.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this movie, no matter how hard it was to watch at times. As someone who has handled terminations and layoffs, as well as having been laid off herself, a lot of the movie really hit home with me. It’s a hard situation for everyone involved and there are good and bad ways to handle it. Let me just say that, as I was watching it, I was reminded again and again that the most important part is to Be a F**king Person. Seriously. No excuses. And no, it’s not just to reduce liability on the part of the company. Some people will react to a layoff violently no matter how it is handled, but there is no reason not to treat people with all the respect and dignity you can; it is the only decent thing to do.
Should you go see the movie? Yes, I would highly recommend it and not just because of the above. The movie has some beautiful visuals, like a great scene where Anna Kendrick is sitting alone in the middle of a bunch of empty office chairs that I found to be particularly moving. I wish I could find a picture of it. The movie also does an amazing job of focusing on how tough, but important, all the relationships in our life are. To quote the movie, life is better with people in it. Plans go awry, people let you down, and reality sucks, but when you think of the best moments in your life, you think of the times that you shared with others. So get out there and share some happy moments with the people you care about.
