5Q Movie Review: Up

Q: After much deliberation, you chose this as the movie to see on your birthday and the first one you had seen in a theater for over a year. Was it worth it?
A: Absolutely! The fact that it could well be the only movie I see in 2009 should not diminish its current status as Cultureshark's Best Movie of 2009. It's an amazing experience that evokes all kinds of emotions and offers the fun of a summer movie without sacrificing the story quality you expect from Pixar. It's up there with their best, and that's saying something.

Q: So this isn't just for kids, then?
A: No way. In fact, if anything, it may be too sophisticated for little kids. Some of the themes in "Up" will stick far more for the older folks in the audience than they will for the young'uns. And unlike in "Finding Nemo," there aren't a bunch of pretty fish to look at. This is not to say the movie is not appropriate for all ages.

Q: I heard that there are some saaaaad parts to this movie. What's "Up" with that? Ha! Notice that little joke there?
A: Very little. Anyway, yes, there is a montage near the beginning that tells the story of the marriage of Ed Asner's character, and it is staggering in its impact, yet its done with a delicacy and beauty such that it never seems too manipulative. It establishes this latest Pixar effort as a film with real resonance, and sure enough, the rest lives up to that by offering some thoughtful messages about how we live our lives, what is important to us, and how we process things.

Q: Hey, you're making this sound like some kind of art film instead of a big blockbuster animated film with pretty computer art. You did say this was fun, right?
A: Of course it is! I tried to go into "Up" knowing as little as possible--about the movie, wise guy--and I was pleasantly surprised at the scope it achieves within the framework of a charming story about an elderly guy and a plucky but pestering boy scout. Yeah, they go up in the air, propelled by balloons, and of course they squabble with each other...but there is a significant action element to the story. It's touching and heartfelt and "small" in the best sense of the word, but at times it's thrilling and raucous and big.

Q: OK, you're clearly a huge mark for Pixar. Is there anything they can do to screw up right now?
A: Hmm. A lesser studio would emphasize the wacky animal character Kevin, pushing the creature up front to provide a bunch of kiddie-friendly big moments instead of keeping it in acceptable doses as a supporting player. A lesser studio would crank up the "name" factor in the voice casting instead of building the movie around the "sort of iconic but hardly A-list at the box office" Ed Asner--who is perfect. A lesser studio would favor juvenile humor and story elements rather than the more sophisticated kind of "all ages" approached used here.

Fortunately, Pixar is not a lesser outfit, but one of the best things going together. An "off" movie for them is something like the still-enjoyable "Cars," and more often, we get something like the wonderful "Up."