What Goes Up (2009) Plot Summary Explained

Campbell travels to New Hampshire to cover Christa McAuliffe's hometown celebration. While there, he reaches out to reconnect with an old college friend, expecting a warm reunion. Instead, he uncovers the devastating news that his friend has died by suicide. This tragic discovery sets the somber tone for his entire visit and draws him into the town's emotional landscape, ultimately leading him to connect with the grieving students.

Foreshadowing: The summary establishes Campbell as emotionally troubled from the start, making him particularly vulnerable to the weight of this discovery.

• suicide
• college friend
• new hampshire
• campbell

To earn the trust of the students, Campbell reveals a professional misstep he made while working as a reporter in New York. This act of vulnerability becomes a turning point in his relationship with the group, as the students see his willingness to be honest about his own failures. The specific nature of the misstep involves manipulation and a need for attention, traits he recognizes in himself throughout the film.

• professional misstep
• new york
• reporter
• campbell
• manipulation

The unconventional teacher who profoundly influenced the students died under circumstances tainted by scandal. Rumors persist that one of the students, specifically the one Campbell becomes infatuated with, had an affair with the deceased teacher. This scandal adds layers of emotional complexity to the student's grief and contributes to the town's desire to shield the press from these revelations.

• teacher scandal
• affair
• student
• grief

Campbell becomes dangerously infatuated with a student who is rumored to have had an affair with his deceased college friend (the teacher). This attraction appears to stem from his emotional vulnerability and need for connection in the aftermath of discovering his friend's death. The infatuation represents a significant moral failure on Campbell's part and adds another layer of complexity to his character arc, showcasing how his own emotional troubles lead him into inappropriate territory.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes mention Campbell's need to create heroes in a world seemingly devoid of them, suggesting he projects idealized images onto others.

• infatuation
• student
• inappropriate relationship
• campbell

After their beloved teacher's death, the grieving students seek a new figure to fill that mentor role. Campbell, as an outsider entering their world, becomes a natural target for their projection. They see in him potential to be the hero they desperately need, while simultaneously revealing profound insights that challenge his worldview. This role reversal forms the emotional core of the film.

• students
• mentor
• replacement
• teacher
• role reversal

The students' beloved unconventional teacher died under scandalous circumstances. The death appears to be connected to an affair with one of the students, which adds to the town's desire to suppress details from reaching the press. The circumstances of the death remain somewhat opaque, but it fundamentally shapes the students' grief and behavior throughout Campbell's time with them.

• teacher death
• scandal
• unconventional teacher
• student

Campbell is initially sent to cover Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian astronaut, expecting a straightforward hero story. However, this assignment becomes almost incidental as he gets drawn into the emotionally complex world of the grieving students. The McAuliffe storyline represents the conventional hero narrative Campbell initially sought but ultimately rejects in favor of more nuanced, messy human connections.

• christa mcauliffe
• assignment
• reporter
• hero story

Through his interactions with the students, Campbell comes to a profound realization: he may actually need a hero more than the students need him to be one. Throughout the film, he attempts to create heroes in a world he sees as devoid of them. The students' raw insights and honest expressions of grief ultimately help Campbell confront his own emotional wounds, showing that the mentor-student dynamic has been reversed.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Campbell is described as morally conflicted and emotionally troubled, establishing his need for healing.

• campbell
• hero
• redemption
• personal transformation

The group Campbell connects with consists of distinctly dysfunctional teenagers: a narcissistic temptress (played by Hilary Duff), a repressed voyeur (Josh Peck), and a scheming pregnant teenager (Olivia Thirlby). These misfits were united by their connection to their unconventional teacher, who apparently saw value in them when others did not. Their wild expressions of grief and their unconventional perspectives challenge Campbell's perceptions and help drive his transformation.

• misfits
• outcasts
• students
• teen angst
• grief

Set in 1986, the film captures a specific historical moment when the first civilian astronaut Christa McAuliffe represented American optimism and heroism. This backdrop contrasts sharply with the emotional chaos Campbell encounters among the students. The era's cultural context adds depth to the exploration of heroism, as Campbell navigates between the celebratory narrative of McAuliffe and the messy, real grief of the students.

• 1986
• historical setting
• christa mcauliffe
• era