| UP |
| Up (2009) Published: July 16, 2009 Written by Cherish Hamutoff When Carl, the young adventurer, pokes his square head into a rundown house, he is equal parts shocked and smitten to be pushed around by the even more adventuresome Ellie (Elie Docter). We fast-forward through their life together: getting married, decorating a house, wanting children but not being able to, collecting coins in a jar for their trip to South America and repeatedly breaking open the jar to pay for life’s unexpected expenses, and eventually Ellie’s death. Carl (Ed Asner) is all alone; both emotionally and physically – a developer has taken out all the houses surrounding Carl’s and is waiting for the chance to push him out. Carl never fulfilled his promise to take Ellie to South America, so, just as he is about to be taken away to a nursing home, he releases thousands of balloons through his chimney, ripping his house from the ground and taking him toward his promise land. An unexpected stowaway, roly-poly jolly Russell (Jordan Nagai), appears on his doorstep, begging to be let in. Gruffly, Carl concedes. Landing in a land which seems lost in time, they make quick friends with an odd and brightly colored flightless bird and an eager but clueless dog with a collar that allows him to speak, named Dug (Bob Peterson). When they become surrounded by a pack of aggressive dogs (which also have the same talking collar as Dug), they discover Carl’s childhood hero: disgraced adventurer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). The adventure continues as Muntz seeks to capture the mythical bird, while Russell tries to protect the bird, and Carl comes to terms with Ellie’s death. Up is an adventure with equal parts heart and humor, with creatively unexpected laughs and surprisingly breath-holding action sequences, and tied together with unforgettable, colorful characters that lift your spirit up. Up is a story about an old man and a young child; and although not everyone may relate to the trials of age and loss of a loved one, everyone can hang their hat on the tale of a dream that is constantly broken due to the demands of “life.” Carl and Ellie had a dream of an adventure and socked money away in hopes of reaching their goal, which never came true. Life happened. I found the postcard style flash-forward sequence through Carl and Ellie’s life together one of the most moving and poignant scenes I’ve ever watched. I was actually moved to tears – and this was at the very beginning of the film. I was astounded that so much history and emotion could be packed into essentially flashcards with no dialogue. I immediately fell in love with the characters, and when Carl later appeared ripe with age – I had empathy and understanding for his grumpy demeanor. That remained my thread through the film – Carl’s relationship with his deceased wife. And because it was so heavy a subject, I welcomed a little silliness in the form of a roly-poly kid, a dopy dog, a quirky bird and an evil evil villain. I was constantly amazed at Up’s ingenuity: dogs with talking collars, fantastical quirky birds, an adventure in a flying house, the drive of an old man to reach his love by landing his house at mystical falls in South America, and the pairing of a new adventurer with an old adventurer who finds his hero: an adventurer. Up dealt with very human and relatable issues; it just did it disguised as an old man and a young child. And who hasn’t been young? And if we’re lucky, one day we’ll all be old. And though we may be somewhere currently in-between, Up had characters I loved, themes I could relate to, moments I could laugh at and cry with, and a story that kept me completely engrossed and entertained. Finally, it was very sweet to see these two males opening up and finally really connecting with each other. It’s clear at the beginning of this film that they will be on a journey together because somehow, in the end, they will complete each other; one giving the other just what he needs. I, for one, had a good time going on that journey with them. And like an old-timey play; I ooed when the balloon took off, I ahhed when I saw the waterfall, I booed when the villain was winning, I hurrayed when the heroes overcame, and I sighed when it wrapped up in its little Hollywood ending. Rated: PG Running time: 96 minutes Directed by: Pete Docter Written by: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter Starring: Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft |