Interpersonal attraction and isolation in Up in the Air

Intercultural Film Analysis on Up in the Air

Interpersonal attraction

Interpersonal attraction is one of the themes at the heart of Up in the Air. For the purposes of this analysis, interpersonal attraction is taken to mean the ways in which people are drawn toward one another. The main character, Ryan Bingham, is a challenging character to analyze in this regard because he has experienced significant success through resisting interpersonal attraction, and yet he eventually comes to realize that people cannot simply shelter themselves from interpersonal attractions, even if they desire to live in complete alienation from others. Ryan makes his living through flying to workplaces and firing employees so that the bosses do not have to perform the unpleasant task, and yet he also doubles as a motivational speaker. His character is unusual in that he effectively tells people they are not suitable for their jobs (in his job firing people), while also building peoples' motivation (as a motivational speaker.) The plot trajectory involves Ryan's acceptance of the value of interpersonal attraction, including his romantic attraction with Alex, the leading female character.

One filmic example that showcases the theme of interpersonal attraction is Ryan's motivational speech in Las Vegas. Ryan's standard motivational speech involves a "backpack" metaphor, in which he instructs people to view all of the factors involved in their lives as a backpack. Just as someone would not want to overburden themselves by carrying around an excessively heavy backpack, Ryan instructs people that they should not "carry around" too many items with regard to their lives. Specifically, he argues that lives are most burdened through interpersonal relationships, and that people are most happy when they are able to eliminate any forms of meaningful interpersonal interaction. He asks them to consider "How much you're your life weigh?" -- a comment that is intended to be interpreted metaphorically rather than literally. Additionally, Ryan states that "Your relationships are the heaviest components in your life," and that "We are not swans. We're sharks." According to this philosophy, interpersonal attraction is not only undesired but should be actively resisted.

However, Ryan's speech in Las Vegas involves the rejection of the philosophies that he articulates through the backpack speech. In fact, he comes to realize that people cannot simply discard interpersonal relationships and walks off of the stage. In the scene, there is a strong contrast between the suave, assured demeanor with which Ryan begins the scene and the almost horrified demeanor he exhibits when he realizes that he does not even believe in the philosophy that he is preaching. Throughout the film, one of the reasons why Ryan has been extremely successful as a motivational speaker is that he practices the same theories that he preaches, and this scene is the climax because he decides to reject his own core philosophy. Although Ryan does not appear to have any interpersonal connection with his audience, he does realize the value of intense human attractions and it is clear that he harbors strong emotions toward Alex. By this point in the film, Ryan has developed a strong friendship with Alex, even though he still knows very little about her personal life. Although he eventually finds out (through travelling to her house in Chicago) that Alex is actually married and has a family, Ryan's inability to have a romantic relationship with Alex is ultimately insignificant because he has learned the broader lesson concerning the value of interpersonal relationships.

Perception: Over-simplification (heuristics)

Over-simplification and heuristics are a recurring motif in Up in the Air. Heuristics can be thought of as "a rule, schema, or mental model that helps one to figure out or discover a solution to a problem or task in which there is some degree of indeterminacy or uncertainty" (Peterson, 2007, p. 14). Much over-simplification in the film is the natural result of the fact that Ryan has a side job as a motivational speaker, a profession that is built around placing a person's life in simplistic terms so that they will be motivated to take immediate action. However, there are also other instances of over-simplification. For example, in the scene in which Ryan meets with his sister's fiancee, he states that people need a co-pilot. Ryan's statement was delivered with good intentions (even though he did not even believe in the value of interpersonal relationships at the time in which he gave the advice), but it also does not recognize the fact that long-term relationships are beneficial to everyone, and that the matter requires more serious thought than a simple, cliched piece of advice such as the co-pilot metaphor.

Nonverbal: Appearance and artifacts

Appearance and artifacts are influential components of Up in the Air, as they are for any film. Ryan was played by George Clooney, a suave, debonair actor who has been referred to as "The Last Great Movie Star" (Potts, 2007). There is no doubt that his appearance makes his words more convincing and causes people to be drawn to him. Examples from the film that demonstrate Ryan's communication skills are when he delivers his motivational speeches; even when he is not speaking, he is able to captivate his audience through his charisma. Clooney's good looks and self-confident demeanor make him an effective nonverbal communicator.

Artifacts also play a strong role in Up in the Air. Specifically, artifacts are objects that are given strong meaning or cultural relevance. Artifacts are particularly important to Up in the Air in that they relate to the themes of weightlessness and interpersonal relationships. For example, the suitcase (or backpack, in the terms of his motivational speech) signifies a sense of weightlessness and freedom that Ryan craves, at least before he has a change of heart. One scene in the film that demonstrates the importance of artifacts is the conclusion, where Ryan drops his suitcase. His actions suggest that he is finally ready to stop living on the road (out of his suitcase) and stay at home and start a family.

Intercultural factors relating to relationships, perception, language, and nonverbal communication are each integral components of Up in the Air. The involves themes of interpersonal attraction, heuristics, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, and Appearance and Artifacts in its portrayal of Ryan's change of heart from weightlessness to valuing the company of others.