What Goes Up (2009)

Directed by Jonathan Glatzer
Written by Jonathan Glatzer and Robert Lawson

Steve Coogan stars in a lot of these little films, and I'll continue to see them until he starts making bad ones. Literally, every single one I've seen is fantastic, not only is Coogan great in them, but on their own, they are magnificent films. I think the trouble for Coogan was he just couldn't figure out how to make that transition to America as a comedian, so he said fuck it, I'll go do some films I want to do. I, for one, am very pleased.

Coogan plays a journalist named Campbell Babbit who is sent to New Hampshire to cover the hometown of Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher sent to space. As he gets there to cover the story, he knows it is bullshit, and he becomes intrigued with a set of students from the local high school who are heavily mourning their teacher, who has jumped off of his boarding house to his death.

As Babbit hangs around, he realizes these kids are characters, and their lives are not just their lives, there is something artistic and poetic to their very existence, and instead he begins to write an article about how the children felt about their teacher. As he learns more and more about who this teacher was, he realizes the kids had a very unique relationship with him, one that can never be matched, even as some of the kids in the class desperately search for his replacement.

The lives of these teenage kids becomes so fascinating to him, Babbit himself becomes part of their little quiet existences, learning from them and their deceased teacher, posing as an old college chum of the teacher who just happens to be in town for the Challenger story.

A magnificent script is at the heart of this great film, and the acting of Coogan, Olivia Thirlby, and Josh Peck transforms it into something more than a teen-angst anthem. It becomes a story about a people that see beyond the surface and into the soul, and even more, what they do with that knowledge. Through his transgressions amongst the kids, he learns the entire story, and doing some investigative work, he is able to figure out the reason for the teacher's death.

Meanwhile, the rest of the town, Babbit's editor, and the entire nation are focused on the impending Challenger launch, which would send the first teacher into space. The problem was, they kept getting delayed due to weather, so each day they got delayed it was like a minor miracle for Babbit's story. However, what I loved was the fact that the Challenger mission isn't the overt metaphor you think it would be, considering we all know how it ended. In fact, the mission doesn't take off until after the movie technically ends, and while it is integral to the metaphor of the piece, it doesn't become an overbearing beacon of the message of the film. Very well done all around.

Of course, this is a small budget film, and Hillary Duff just isn't that great of an actress, all preconceptions aside, but other than minor qualms, this is a great film. It's just one of those films where every piece fits perfectly, and here it's due to the quality of the structure, the dialogue, and the plotting, all coming together to form a fantastic screenplay, which was then made into a great film.

9.0/10