If you haven’t see Up yet…well, first, what the heck is wrong with you, and second, you might want to skip this post. Yes, I’m going to spoil the movie, but, really, it’s not a movie that you CAN spoil. The only “hook” to the plot of Up is that it’s a well made film with great characters and a fun, moving story. But, if you want to read something a little less…ummm…spoilerific? Go here.
I think I’ve see Up almost a half dozen times now, a few of which I only made it about halfway through. Not because it’s bad, jut because watching a movie with a child is daunting, and usually they want to watch something else after 45 minutes. Which would be fine, except that the first 45 minutes are some of the most emotionally draining moments ever put on DVD.
At this point I feel like I’ve known Carl Fredrickson my entire life, and every time I have to sit and watch the man go through his wife passing away it kills me. At least with Finding Nemo it’s quick. No less devestating, but thankfully swift.
You can throw a rock on the internet and find someone saying how much they love this movie, and for good reason. It’s easily Pixar’s most human film to date. With the exception of the fantastical location there’s nothing really extraordinary about the characters in the film (okay, okay, and talking dogs that can cook and fly airplanes), so it’s incredibly easy to relate to both Carl and Russell (and I guess to a lesser extent Doug the dog). And, it’s nice to think that there are grand adventures waiting out there for us no matter what age we find ourselves at.
So, yes the movie is awesome and deserves all the praise it’s gotten, and maybe more, everyone should own it, blah, blah, blah. Having seen it so many times now, there are two glaring problems I have with it. Yes I know it’s a movie, yes I know I’m being petty.
One; When Carl and his house take to the sky we see a pretty good shot of the front porch as well as the underside of the house. Unless I’m just blind Russell doesn’t appear in either of them. So, how did he manage to get onto the porch? Two; Why the heck do Carl and Muntz seem to be relatively close in age? Muntz looked to be in his thirties maybe when young Carl was watching the newsreel, so, how is it that sixty years later he and Carl look almost the same age?
Yeah, I guess I could concede that last point, a seventy year old and a ninety year old could appear to be of similar age if the older man were healthy. Okay. BUT, the first point, it takes me out of the movie every time now. It doesn’t lessen my enjoyment, just something that irks me. Like I said, I know it’s a movie.
To end on a positive note, I think my favorite scene in the film is probably the one where Carl imagines himself lowering Russell to a building from the flying house and he accidentally drops the boy. Quick cut back to Russell jabbering away and Carl staring right in the screen and giving the deadpan delivery “Well, that’s not gonna work.” I laugh every time.
