We saw Up in the Air a few weeks ago and, despite the overall theme of people getting fired, I really enjoyed it. (George Clooney stars in it!) Unfortunately, in a very brutal way, life imitated art about a week later when my husband was abruptly laid off from his job.
The movie is about an HR company hired by corporations to lay employees off off. At the start, the HR representatives at that company actually tell the person face to face that he's about to get fired. Then, a young enthusiast chick fresh from grad school is hired who believes it's way more efficient and cost-effective to get the job done via video conferencing. The movie is a kind of tug of war as the the young lady attempts to prove the beauty of video conferencing to a very type-A George Clooney character, who actually thrives on traveling. The George character does have a point-blank way of firing people, yet in a few cases he actually springs hope, for example the man whose passion is cooking may finally get to do what he really loves for a living. The grad school gal hasn't quite found her groove, although she's certainly trying!
By the way, I heard that the "actors" in the movie who were getting fired were real people who had actually gotten fired, and they were told to react the same way in the movie as they did in real life.
As the movie progresses, the George character begins to evaluate his nomadic existence and ponders the thought of settling down... and you can imagine that the young lady begins to wonder if she picked the right industry to get into! There are some romantic sub plots and some plot twists to keep everyone interested. One of the best scenes is when bachelor George gives his future brother-in-law a pep talk right before the wedding. (That's all I'm going to say!)
So, let me just end by wishing that everyone find a job or career that he loves, and that anyone who is laid off may turn it into an opportunity.
The movie is about an HR company hired by corporations to lay employees off off. At the start, the HR representatives at that company actually tell the person face to face that he's about to get fired. Then, a young enthusiast chick fresh from grad school is hired who believes it's way more efficient and cost-effective to get the job done via video conferencing. The movie is a kind of tug of war as the the young lady attempts to prove the beauty of video conferencing to a very type-A George Clooney character, who actually thrives on traveling. The George character does have a point-blank way of firing people, yet in a few cases he actually springs hope, for example the man whose passion is cooking may finally get to do what he really loves for a living. The grad school gal hasn't quite found her groove, although she's certainly trying!
By the way, I heard that the "actors" in the movie who were getting fired were real people who had actually gotten fired, and they were told to react the same way in the movie as they did in real life.
As the movie progresses, the George character begins to evaluate his nomadic existence and ponders the thought of settling down... and you can imagine that the young lady begins to wonder if she picked the right industry to get into! There are some romantic sub plots and some plot twists to keep everyone interested. One of the best scenes is when bachelor George gives his future brother-in-law a pep talk right before the wedding. (That's all I'm going to say!)
So, let me just end by wishing that everyone find a job or career that he loves, and that anyone who is laid off may turn it into an opportunity.
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