ScriptShadow
12-16-2008, 04:09 PM
Up in the Air is sort of an important script in this reading process because just like the main character is trying to reach 5 million frequent flier miles, I am trying to read all the Black List scripts. Will he get there? Will I get there?
The whole "reaching 5 million miles" thing is actually just a weak attempt to give the movie some sort of a marketable logline. It doesn't play into the plot at all - which was good. Because really, who cares? I put this one off because I'm the anti-frequent flier. I fly maybe once or twice a year and I hate it. I'm kinda fascinated by these people that spend their whole lives on airplanes and in hotels because it's so the opposite of who I am. From the friends I know who live this life and love it, they tend to be people in unhappy marriages. And these business trips are their only outlets . I guess if I were in that position, I might find it more desirable.
But the main character, Ryan, this guy freaking loves flying. He lives for airports and airplanes and rental cars and hotels. And of course the reason is he's terrified of living a real life with real people. The extended synopsis is that Ryan fires people for a living. He's hired out to go to companies and fire a bunch of employees so that they don't have to. Cause "Let's face it. People do crazy things when they're fired." He's good at his job. He seems to care about the people he's firing (although this wasn't made very clear - at first he seems cold. but a mere 20 pages later he's sympathetic). And everything is sort of thrown into disarray when a 23 year old girl barges into the company and says they should start firing people via teleconference, saving the company millions of dollars in travel expenses. This is, of course, Ryan's worst nightmare. And in one of the only forced parts of the screenplay, the boss wants to send Ryan off with Natalie (the girl) so she can study what he does.
In the meantme, Ryan meets a girl on the road, Alex, and the two meet up in various cities. He starts to like her and before he knows it, his whole philosophy on life and never settling down is challenged.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT - In one of the biggest shocks of the script - I didn't see this coming at all - he decides he is ready for a life of commitment, flies to her home, only to find out she's married with kids. He's absolutely heartbroken. And so was I. A great twist.
END SPOILER
The script has a sort of nice rhythm to it and even though it drifts at times, he's drifting too, so it kind of works. It wasn't the best script of the bunch, but it's a nice look at being grown up and not quite knowing who you are or where you want to be.
The whole "reaching 5 million miles" thing is actually just a weak attempt to give the movie some sort of a marketable logline. It doesn't play into the plot at all - which was good. Because really, who cares? I put this one off because I'm the anti-frequent flier. I fly maybe once or twice a year and I hate it. I'm kinda fascinated by these people that spend their whole lives on airplanes and in hotels because it's so the opposite of who I am. From the friends I know who live this life and love it, they tend to be people in unhappy marriages. And these business trips are their only outlets . I guess if I were in that position, I might find it more desirable.
But the main character, Ryan, this guy freaking loves flying. He lives for airports and airplanes and rental cars and hotels. And of course the reason is he's terrified of living a real life with real people. The extended synopsis is that Ryan fires people for a living. He's hired out to go to companies and fire a bunch of employees so that they don't have to. Cause "Let's face it. People do crazy things when they're fired." He's good at his job. He seems to care about the people he's firing (although this wasn't made very clear - at first he seems cold. but a mere 20 pages later he's sympathetic). And everything is sort of thrown into disarray when a 23 year old girl barges into the company and says they should start firing people via teleconference, saving the company millions of dollars in travel expenses. This is, of course, Ryan's worst nightmare. And in one of the only forced parts of the screenplay, the boss wants to send Ryan off with Natalie (the girl) so she can study what he does.
In the meantme, Ryan meets a girl on the road, Alex, and the two meet up in various cities. He starts to like her and before he knows it, his whole philosophy on life and never settling down is challenged.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT - In one of the biggest shocks of the script - I didn't see this coming at all - he decides he is ready for a life of commitment, flies to her home, only to find out she's married with kids. He's absolutely heartbroken. And so was I. A great twist.
END SPOILER
The script has a sort of nice rhythm to it and even though it drifts at times, he's drifting too, so it kind of works. It wasn't the best script of the bunch, but it's a nice look at being grown up and not quite knowing who you are or where you want to be.