Up in the Air…Take me Away

I had a chance to attend an advance screening of Paramount Pictures “Up in the Air.”  Anything with George Clooney gets me excited, but I was also anxious to see what director Jason Reitman’s follow up to the much hyped, much acclaimed “Juno” would be.  Don’t boo or throw tomatoes but I wasn’t a fan of “Juno.” It felt like a movie that was trying too hard to be reverential with its overabundance of pop culture references and oh-so hip characters.  But Reitman wrote this movie himself, along with co-writer Sheldon Turner and this time, he serves up a fun, entertaining and timely movie that will hopefully earn him another seat at this year’s Oscars.

Based on the book by Walter Kirn, “Up in the Air”, tells the story of corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham, played with effortless charm and subtlety by George Clooney as a man brought in by companies too cowardly to fire their own employees. This unique career keeps Ryan on the road most of the year. While most of us dread travel, Ryan embraces it.  “Everything you hate about travel is why I love it,” he tells us and Reitman choreographs the banalities of travel creating an amusing take on the arduous task of airport departures.

Clooney, as always is charismatic, using his crinkly smile to win us over but under Reitman’s guidance he digs deeper, giving us a look into a character that’s closed himself off.  Despite the hideous task he’s given, he offers the people he fires sparkling sound bites and soothing understanding.  While his character recognizes the despicableness of his job, he also relishes in it. He loves the nomadic nature, the lack of true relationships or belongings he owns. He initially embraces it, especially when on the road, George meets a fellow road warrior and kind spirit traveler, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) and sparks fly.   Vera Farmiga, best known for her role in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” brings her usual sensuality and intensity to this role, holding her own with George. In each other, they’ve both found the perfect relationship- a non-committed one.  These scenes crackle, the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable and their repartee is witty and humorous without being overdone or cloying.

But Clooney’s perfect existence is disrupted when he gets a call from his boss, played with wonderful smarminess by Reitman’s go to guy Jason Bateman.   George finds his livelihood threatened by a newbie to the company, Natalie Keener, played by Anna Kendrick who proves she deserves more than playing a secondary role in the Twilight movies. Natalie is a recent college grad whose revolutionary ideas threaten to make Ryan’s job (and therefore Ryan himself) obsolete. After showing her up and proving how little she knows about the art of firing people, he finds himself taking her on as his protégé and out on the road with him where they both learn some tough life lesson from each other. The relationship between Ryan and Natalie was my favorite part of the film.  She challenges his lifestyle, just as he sees the difficulty of this profession through her eyes.   When they’re finally grounded and ordered to return home to Omaha, Ryan finds himself questioning his life and making choices that will change him forever.

Not a true drama or a true comedy, this movie blends both and creates a realistic picture of flawed characters, all struggling to find happiness, whatever that means. While it lacks the depth and heightened drama of some recent buzzed about Oscar films like the much touted “Precious” it’s a great two hour escape with a director who’s proven he is definitely not a one hit wonder.