Up is the archetypal story of boy-meets-girl/boy-gets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl-back but with a final act twist that accompanies the already non-formulaic retelling. Instead of a feature length also-ran romantic comedy, the film gives us the first three parts of the archetype in a short montage at the beginning of the film, illuminating the deep, real-world love shared between Ellie and Carl that can only stem from the ups and downs (both incidentally and intrinsically metaphorical) of a marriage nurtured for many anniversaries.