Favorite Movies Countdown — No. 21

21. Up In The Air (2009)

Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Jason Bateman

About: Jason Reitman has only released three feature films — "Thank You For Smoking," "Juno," and "Up In The Air." While "Up In The Air" is my favorite — and certainly his best effort — you'd be hard pressed to find someone who delivered at as high a level as Reitman for his first three films.

"Up In The Air" is the newest film on this list, and it was my pick as the Best Picture in 2009. People became enamored with "Avatar" for it's eye candy and, later, with "The Hurt Locker" because an unpopular war had become a rallying cry during Barack Obama's election, but "Up In The Air" is a better film and, in 10 years, will be remembered as a much more significant reflection of where we were as a culture.

Part of the reason it may have lost favor is the fact that it touched on a nerve that was too raw. We still haven't come out of the financial crisis, and watching a film about an economy going in the tank and the jobless rate rising wasn't cathartic during the middle of the maelstrom. But it is becoming more so.

But that's not the only reason I like it. I think "Up In The Air" is reflective of a certain cultural approach to the connections that bind us. One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is Ryan's (Clooney) outlook on life and relationships. It's fascinating because it's sad — and it's sad to watch him realize he doesn't truly believe it only to get burned by someone and retreat further into his shell.

The film is beautifully written, witty, and beautifully acted. Reitman is a true talent. All his movies have this incredible quality to drawn viewers in. I love all three of his films, but this one gets me every time. It is also the rare film that is better — and better at achieving the aims of the story — than its source material. Walter Kirn's novel is entertaining, but it wasn't nearly as endearing to me as this film.

Below is Ryan's backpack speech, which forms the heart of the film. Consider it for a moment, and consider what a sad outlook on life it provides:

"How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life... you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff. Clothes, tabletop appliances, lamps, your TV... the backpack should be getting pretty heavy now. You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home... I want you to stuff it all into that backpack. Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office... and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets. Your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get them into that backpack, feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks. "