One day you will meet Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in your office. You never sat next to him in a cubicle. Nor have you shared the latest gossip with him over your coffee break. You did not even invite him to happy hour for drinks. However, he does play an important part of your job. He is the person your boss hired to inform that you have been terminated. He is a downsizing expert from Omaha whose job is to offer options to recently laid-off employees. Bingham might be the man you cry over, be mad at, or loathe, but he might end up being the one who has set you free to change your life forever. Ryan’s job has its perks. He can easily get through the check-in lines at the airports in no-time. The airline employees know his name by heart. He always travels first class as he is close to his ultimate goal of ten million miles saved for one airline.
The downside of it all is that he travels nearly every day of the year. He only spends roughly two months out of the year in an apartment that is not fully furnished. Additionally, he has practically no personal connections to his friends or family. His younger sister is about get married in Wisconsin, but will he attend the wedding or will he still be the absent brother within his family?
One day while coming back from an assignment, a new employee by the name of Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) plans to modernize his job. The new change involves firing an employee via a web-based video conferencing program. This will eliminate the need for “road warriors” who miss daily aspects of their life. The idea is praised by all colleagues except Bingham who challenges Keener to fully know his job before changing the means to what she feels is the better.
Up in the Air is a light-hearted dramedy in our current economic times where millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to downsizing and other means. In fact, most of the people the audience will see in the film who’ve been laid-off are actual Americans who’ve been laid off and gave their reactions to finding out the bad news. I feel that this element brings more realism to the movie than ever before. A touching moment of the film was the final song of the movie. It was performed by a man who recently lost his job and describes how his life’s situation is “Up in the Air.”
Clooney’s performance as Bingham shows him as a leading man with a hint of melancholic charm. He is sad that employees have lost their jobs but Bingham feels that he is giving hope for a new direction since many have worked at the same job for numerous years. One of the best scenes is where he takes Keener on their first assignment to show her the ropes. They met an older gentleman (J.K. Simmons) who had a background in the culinary arts. Instead of being heartless and cruel, he offered to pursue the dream he had given up many years ago for his two children to show them what a man he could be.
For Anna Kendrick’s newest role outside of the Twilight Saga, it was nothing shorter of a wonderful performance. As Keener, she has proven to be a formidable foe against everything Bingham stood for. Natalie might be a bit overbearing but she got through to Ryan to realize that his life has been empty without the things he really needs.
Vera Farmiga plays Alex, a sexy fellow frequent flier who describes herself as “Ryan Bingham with a vagina.” The chemistry between Alex and Ryan is smooth and outgoing. On their first date, they compare credit cards, travel clubs, and frequent flier cards leading you to believe they are mile-high soulmates. The courtship is a genuine masterpiece in the making.
Up in the Air flies high above the previous movies of Jason Reitman. He has delivered a wonderful tale that is effortlessly comical and moving in unison. If Jason Reitman’s movies were like horse racing, he has truly achieved his triple crown.
FINAL GRADE: A
Reviewed by D. Rogers
“Up in the Air” is a character study of a heartless bachelor whose job is to travel constantly to tell individuals that they no longer have a job. He’s content until he is forced to show the ropes to a young woman who, during their travels, explains to him his defects. Some laughs and insights in this original film.
GRADE = “B-“