Up in the Air Review
“First-class film-making”
Something of a marriage happens in Up in the Air, the new film by Juno-director Jason Reitman. That marriage is one between a big Hollywood billing and star with an independent films sensibility. That relationship as something that occurs in the same film is quite a feat unto itself as it represents the amount of grey area film has left to remain both emotionally and fiscally rewarding. Take this as a divine compliment, as Up in the Air is a joy to take in.
Based off the novel by Walter Kirn by the same name, Up in the Air is the story of Ryan Bingham, a “termination technician”, who travels around the country terminating employees from their jobs. Or as he would put it, “Giving them a beginning”. And the insane part is, you kind of buy it. Clooney brings the exact amount of charm and charisma to the role that makes this seemingly anti-hero…well…heroic. He’s a man who very much enjoys his job and the way his life operates around that job. He’s not looking to change in anyway (he’ll even try to get you to change with a speech about backpacks), but he will convince you that everything is going to be OK.
And of course theres a love interest. Duh! How else would he have a dramatic turn? But in this case it takes the place in the very sexy, very convincing Vera Farmiga. The banter that occurs between the two is really fun and believable. Clooney and Farmiga both respect each other enough as actors as well as characters that they don’t feel the need to act outside of their direction. Newcomer Anna Kendrick also throws her weight around with some great moments as well. What could have easily fallen into film cliche between these characters, turns out to be very personal relationships that we have the pleasure of watching unfold. Clooney really does feel like he knows everything and has an answer for venerably anything. But we know he doesn’t. We know theres another shoe and we know it’s dropping.
It’s in watching how everything unfolds about Clooney’s plot that maintains the tension. The care and effort employed by Reitman is that of respect for his material and for the audiences. He makes these characters worth caring about. Clooney doesn’t start to realize until it’s potentially too late that all these places he goes to and all the miles that he accumulates are just points on a map. He has been there, but he has nothing but miles to prove it. It’s not until one scene that presents itself as minor, that he has the major revelation; Life isn’t life unless it’s talking back.
Irksomely, Reitman does revert to some indy quirk, which waters down the final product a bit, but not enough to merit huge criticism. His visual takes and the way it changes depending on the situation, deviating from polished and smooth to the faux-documentary nature of his Office days are very effective and help move the story. Reitman once again lands a solid film that is totally worth seeing. This movie gets a 9 out of 10 Bones for charm, wit and a reminder that we are the pilots of our lives if we just take the controls.
RATING: 