Why we love hotels? – 3

George Clooney is the sort of actor we all agree is great, and whenever he features a film, we have no way but to watch it, why? because we know it is going to be the best movie money can buy. Clooney has that rare ability of successfully portraying and impersonating all the color ranges and shades of characters, from the ideal lover in “One Fine Day”, to the Machiavellian politician in “The Ides of March”, and also he can shock us by being the lone-wolf cold-blooded killer in “The American”.

In “Up in The Air”, George Clooney is portraying Ryan Bingham, an elegant modern version of the Outsider of Colin Wilson, an individual who has set his life to be detached from all obligations and personal ties to anything, and what is more, he is preaching others to follow his path as Ryan is working in his part-time as a motivational speaker who literally teaches people how to let go of others around them, whether family, coworkers or friends. why? because he believes we came to this world alone and we will leave alone, so why don’t we stay alone in between?

Ryan’s job was to tell the long-term employees in companies that they have been let go. His firm does that since it is difficult for the owners and CEOs of those companies to tell their workers they are fired, so they hire Ryan’s companies who, on their behalf, hire professional consultants like Ryan to do the job. Although telling people they were let go seems aggressive and hard, Ryan does it professionally, like a lion who sticks his fangs at a certain place in the neck of his prey so it can die fast, peacefully, and without pain.

Hotels are my home
Ryan Bingham stays most of his time at hotels since he is the ultimate traveler, why? because his work in the employment termination firm requires him to travel all over America to fire people. That job has imposed a certain lifestyle on Ryan, a one that is full of hotels receptions, hotels lobbies, and hotels bars.
Throughout his travels, Ryan meets his equal, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a beautiful businesswoman and frequent flier. The scene of Ryan meeting Alex at the Hilton hotel bar is a piece of art about how to seduce a woman at a hotel bar.
Ryan started the conversation with the pretty woman facing him at the bar with open questions that leads to another, he basically avoided the questions that can be answered with plain yes or no to keep the conversation flowing, and by the end of the scene they were sharing the different airways loyalty cards and the erotic stories about having good times up in the air, Alex then clearly stated that they are the people who get turned on by elite status, then the scene was escalated when we saw them walking on the elegant corridor of the hotel heading to Rayn’s room where all the fun began when they dived together in a passionate casual and sensual relationship that only exists in fancy hotels between travels.
What Ryan really loved about Alex was the idea much more than the woman, the idea that he spent his life following and teaching others to follow, which is to be the modern version of the Outsider of Colin Wilson, Ryan saw in Alex a fancy elegant woman who never ask him about his past nor wanted a commitment with him in the future, she offered him a relationship with no ties, borders or responsibilities.
Ryan, also, fell for Alex because he saw on her the female version of himself. She even implanted that idea in his mind when she told him her famous quote: (Just think of me as yourself, only with a …..).

Firing people during the day, and enjoying hotels during the night
Ryan was recalled to his company’s offices in Omaha, Nebraska to meet Natalie Keener, a young, ambitious new hire who is bringing to the table a new concept, which is to fire people online through video conferencing using laptops without the need for the team to travel. The new costs cutting concept was advocated by Craig Gregory, Ryan’s boss, But Rayan saw in the new methodology a threat to the classic style he built, he found it unprofessional and apathetic, and after arguing with Natalie he proved himself right, so Craig ordered Natalie to accompany Ryan on the next round of terminations to assess and evaluate the experiment. Ryan and Natalie started an exciting journey to go through emotional dramatic meetings during the day while staying at wonderful hotels at night.
In Up in the Air, we feel the pressure of the intense scene of Ryan and Natalie firing people, but the fun begins at the hotel scene when they come back at night, we invite ourselves with them to the entertaining hotel nights. We enjoy the singing parties, the live events, and the boat trips organized by the hotel.

What happens at the hotel, stays at the hotel
At the end of the movie Ryan heads to surprise Alex at her home to tell her he wants to settle with her, but he, unfortunately, finds out she was married, and although she told him before that she is a very flexible girl, she tells him now not to show up at her doorsteps like that again. Ryan then discovers the hard truth about their relationship, it exists only in the shadow at fancy hotels between flights. He then faces the tough situation he always puts people into, being fired and let go. Alex said to Ryan describing their relationship; I thought our relationship was perfectly clear. I mean, you’re an escape. You’re a break from our normal lives.

Up in the Air is a great movie because it diagnoses the hidden private romantic relationships under the dim lights of fancy hotels between two people, as Alex first told Ryan, who gets turned on by elite status. We love the hotel scenes in Up in the Air because they are an escape from the dramatic scenes of people losing their jobs and a break from the drama of it.

Up in the Air was filmed in Hampton Inn & Suites and Hilton in Dallas.

I watched Up in the Air more than 5 times and I will keep enjoying watching it because it is an elegant movie with elegant actors, filmed at elegant hotels.