UP IN THE AIR (Paramount Pictures)
Written & Directed by Jason Reitman
Movies come and go and often without much thought, given where they fall on the invisible entertainment value scale. Because the reality is, it all depends on the audience watching it and where 'their' head was at when they sat down in front of the big screen. I truly believe this, as too often people might go into a film with pre-meditated thoughts or expectations due to lack of research on what they are about to see. To me, by doing this, you open yourself to be letdown more times than not, which is why I walk into the theater with a clean mind. Do that and you might just be surprised in what you find, as the simple pleasure of seeing a story unfold on the big screen can be the ultimate payoff, with the right mindset going in. It’s in that spirit we find a film like UP IN THE AIR, which on the surface may not look like a whole lot, but truly is the deeper you become imbedded within the well-crafted story.
The story, adapted from the 2001 novel by the same name, follows the trials and tribulations’ of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), who makes his money by essentially firing people. You see, his company is hired by those companies who are downsizing, etc., to come in, sit down and tactfully let-go of their employees. Sounds ruthless and for the most part it is, but there is a stratigical way to do this and its Bingham’s job to make sure this process goes as smooth as possible. Traveling more than 300 days a year, his home is on the road and in the air, where he meets, greets and ultimately forgets anyone he happens to run across, before moving on to the next city on his itinerary. For years this worked for Bingham, as being attached to something was death to a guy who relished all the variety the road had to offer on any given day or night. And his payoff was the frequent flyer miles he stockpiled, as to him, getting to 10 million miles, something only six people before him had ever done, was more meaningful than a relationship with someone.
That was until he was forced to mentor a young 'up-and-comer' by the name of Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who was hired with the idea she would help change the culture of the company at which Bingham helped build. Having to show her the highs and lows of this job, as he knew it, was no easy task, as Natalie held dear all those things Bingham willingly let go of years ago, forcing the two to learn from each other in a way they never imagined. And for Bingham, this meant possibly acting on feelings he had developed for a fellow lost soul to the road, Alex (Vera Farmiga); but as he began to face what he had been running from all these years, he is reminded in a variety of ways just how harsh this world can be to him and the one’s he loves, resulting in quite the bittersweet conclusion that just might have you all twisted up inside by the time the closing music begins to play.
UP IN THE AIR is one of those films that breed award-winning performances, so it's a good thing George Clooney was at the helm. Director Jason Reitman couldn’t have picked a better actor to play Ryan Bingham, as Clooney in his own right know what it’s like to be single for a long time, same as his character here. And that may seem arbitrary to some, but to me it played a role in just how easy it was to believe in Clooney’s character. Add in all the quick-wit humor and natural demeanor Clooney seems to posses in whatever role he is in, and this is one of his best to date and certainly one I could see winning a few awards down the road here. He just has this way of making everyone else look so comfortable with him, which makes it almost to easy to watch him on the big screen, but that speaks volumes as to who he is as a person. And maybe I should give him more credit, but there always seems to be at least one or two great performances alongside his in virtually every film he plays a big role in.
Here, that role might have been Anna Kendrick’s, as she stood toe to toe with Clooney several times and passed, showing me she has lot more than what she has already shown behind the makeup and lure of the TWILIGHT series. I was impressed and didn’t really expect to be, which proves young talent is still not lost in Hollywood. Then there was Vera Farmiga, a vet many people think they have seen before, but would never guess from where and even if they did, would not believe it until they pulled up her IMDB.com profile. Farmiga has that gentle, yet confident face that will capture you and here, she was a great counter to Clooney and one I would certainly like to see in more prolific roles in the future. The one letdown to the cast and I was surprised as anyone else was Jason Bateman. I’m not sure why he was even in this film, as his role was forgettable at most, given its lack of screen time and meaning to the overall story. Truthfully, anyone could have played his role, which I would have preferred, as I felt as if I was sort of robbed of his talents here, with how little we saw of him.
There’s no doubt in my mind that writer/director Jason Reitman is becoming one of the great young director's Hollywood has to offer and with UP IN THE AIR, you begin to realize he’s just getting started. Already known for his great work with THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and JUNO, I had no reservations about what I would see from a Jason Reitman film. In fact, I was intrigued to see this knowing how different it would look and feel from the standard. I loved that about JUNO and it was no different here, as this film seemed to get better and better the more you watched. Sure, there might have been one too-many over-the-top reactions within the “firing session” sequences, but it all fit neatly into the story Reitman wanted to tell. His timely transitions and shot progressions’ were uncanny at times and frankly, it’s hard to find that with any other drama/comedy. There’s a certain intelligence with this film that I liked and maybe that's from Clooney’s narration, but either way, it made for some good quality entertainment in the end. And to do it so tastefully, given our current national economic instability was great, as such the topic might be frowned upon in some circles. So, credit Jason Reitman for making sure this script was solid, before ever putting it in motion, which he finally did after six years of development.
UP IN THE AIR just has that look of something different and I like that. Too often we get stuck into seeing the same old tired stories, so good for Jason Reitman to bring this Walter Kim novel to the big screen , for it brings to life all the good and bad travelling has to offer; all the while producing a Oscar-worthy story that will capture you in more ways than one.
B+
Written & Directed by Jason Reitman
Movies come and go and often without much thought, given where they fall on the invisible entertainment value scale. Because the reality is, it all depends on the audience watching it and where 'their' head was at when they sat down in front of the big screen. I truly believe this, as too often people might go into a film with pre-meditated thoughts or expectations due to lack of research on what they are about to see. To me, by doing this, you open yourself to be letdown more times than not, which is why I walk into the theater with a clean mind. Do that and you might just be surprised in what you find, as the simple pleasure of seeing a story unfold on the big screen can be the ultimate payoff, with the right mindset going in. It’s in that spirit we find a film like UP IN THE AIR, which on the surface may not look like a whole lot, but truly is the deeper you become imbedded within the well-crafted story.
The story, adapted from the 2001 novel by the same name, follows the trials and tribulations’ of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), who makes his money by essentially firing people. You see, his company is hired by those companies who are downsizing, etc., to come in, sit down and tactfully let-go of their employees. Sounds ruthless and for the most part it is, but there is a stratigical way to do this and its Bingham’s job to make sure this process goes as smooth as possible. Traveling more than 300 days a year, his home is on the road and in the air, where he meets, greets and ultimately forgets anyone he happens to run across, before moving on to the next city on his itinerary. For years this worked for Bingham, as being attached to something was death to a guy who relished all the variety the road had to offer on any given day or night. And his payoff was the frequent flyer miles he stockpiled, as to him, getting to 10 million miles, something only six people before him had ever done, was more meaningful than a relationship with someone.
That was until he was forced to mentor a young 'up-and-comer' by the name of Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who was hired with the idea she would help change the culture of the company at which Bingham helped build. Having to show her the highs and lows of this job, as he knew it, was no easy task, as Natalie held dear all those things Bingham willingly let go of years ago, forcing the two to learn from each other in a way they never imagined. And for Bingham, this meant possibly acting on feelings he had developed for a fellow lost soul to the road, Alex (Vera Farmiga); but as he began to face what he had been running from all these years, he is reminded in a variety of ways just how harsh this world can be to him and the one’s he loves, resulting in quite the bittersweet conclusion that just might have you all twisted up inside by the time the closing music begins to play.
UP IN THE AIR is one of those films that breed award-winning performances, so it's a good thing George Clooney was at the helm. Director Jason Reitman couldn’t have picked a better actor to play Ryan Bingham, as Clooney in his own right know what it’s like to be single for a long time, same as his character here. And that may seem arbitrary to some, but to me it played a role in just how easy it was to believe in Clooney’s character. Add in all the quick-wit humor and natural demeanor Clooney seems to posses in whatever role he is in, and this is one of his best to date and certainly one I could see winning a few awards down the road here. He just has this way of making everyone else look so comfortable with him, which makes it almost to easy to watch him on the big screen, but that speaks volumes as to who he is as a person. And maybe I should give him more credit, but there always seems to be at least one or two great performances alongside his in virtually every film he plays a big role in.
Here, that role might have been Anna Kendrick’s, as she stood toe to toe with Clooney several times and passed, showing me she has lot more than what she has already shown behind the makeup and lure of the TWILIGHT series. I was impressed and didn’t really expect to be, which proves young talent is still not lost in Hollywood. Then there was Vera Farmiga, a vet many people think they have seen before, but would never guess from where and even if they did, would not believe it until they pulled up her IMDB.com profile. Farmiga has that gentle, yet confident face that will capture you and here, she was a great counter to Clooney and one I would certainly like to see in more prolific roles in the future. The one letdown to the cast and I was surprised as anyone else was Jason Bateman. I’m not sure why he was even in this film, as his role was forgettable at most, given its lack of screen time and meaning to the overall story. Truthfully, anyone could have played his role, which I would have preferred, as I felt as if I was sort of robbed of his talents here, with how little we saw of him.
There’s no doubt in my mind that writer/director Jason Reitman is becoming one of the great young director's Hollywood has to offer and with UP IN THE AIR, you begin to realize he’s just getting started. Already known for his great work with THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and JUNO, I had no reservations about what I would see from a Jason Reitman film. In fact, I was intrigued to see this knowing how different it would look and feel from the standard. I loved that about JUNO and it was no different here, as this film seemed to get better and better the more you watched. Sure, there might have been one too-many over-the-top reactions within the “firing session” sequences, but it all fit neatly into the story Reitman wanted to tell. His timely transitions and shot progressions’ were uncanny at times and frankly, it’s hard to find that with any other drama/comedy. There’s a certain intelligence with this film that I liked and maybe that's from Clooney’s narration, but either way, it made for some good quality entertainment in the end. And to do it so tastefully, given our current national economic instability was great, as such the topic might be frowned upon in some circles. So, credit Jason Reitman for making sure this script was solid, before ever putting it in motion, which he finally did after six years of development.
UP IN THE AIR just has that look of something different and I like that. Too often we get stuck into seeing the same old tired stories, so good for Jason Reitman to bring this Walter Kim novel to the big screen , for it brings to life all the good and bad travelling has to offer; all the while producing a Oscar-worthy story that will capture you in more ways than one.
B+
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