I have been hearing how good this movie was ever since the movie blogosphere buzz really got going at the Telluride and Toronto Film festivals back in September. Canadian director Jason Reitman (son of director Ivan Reitman; Twins, Ghostbusters II, Dave, Junior) first appeared on my radar with his last two movies, Thank You for Smoking and Juno. However the young directors talents don't stop at directing as he also co-wrote the screenplay for Up in the Air based on a novel by Walter Kirn and I have to say he does a rather decent job of both duties.You may have already know by now that Up in the Air has received multiple Globe and SAG nominations and is a sure thing to get some serious attention come February 2nd when the Academy Awards nominations are announced. With all that in mind it is hard to approach a film without a heavy weight of expectation, so trying my best to push it all to the back of my mind (I had somehow avoided reading any reviews) I headed out from the Toronto deep-freeze and into the theater tonight to check it out for myself.
George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate executive hired by companies to, well, fire people. In contrast with the poor souls whose careers are about to come to a sudden end Bingham is a man who has found inner peace through a life spent on planes, in hotel rooms and driving rental cars. He is also on a personal quest to reach his magic number of miles with his chosen airline. One has to understand that with the subject matter at hand it's impossible for Up in the Air not to be a very long commercial for American Airlines, Hertz and Hilton (yes I am aware I have just added to their press!) but unlike so many other clumsy product placements this is an example when they feel right. Anyway I digress ... so when his company hires a young hotshot, Natalie Keener, to streamline the firing process and introduce 'firing by webcam' Bingham senses his sweet life of mileage and point accrual is under threat. So his boss (Jason Bateman) sends Keener, played with confidence by 25 year old actress Anna Kendrick, out on the road with him to show her what it really means to let someone go with dignity. It's during this at first deeply uncomfortable time with a fellow traveler that he begins to see that this life he has created isn't as fulfilling as he might have once believed. At the same that Keener's arrogance begins to fade as she sees the hard reality of this profession so Bingham who has become motionally involved with a fellow road-warrior, Alex, begins to start questioning his own reality. Much of what this movie is about for me is played out through his 'on the road' relationship with Alex and it is during scenes of intimacy is such sterile environments (it doesn't get much more sterile than hotel bars) that he begins to very slowly recognize that his lifestyle doesn't offer him everything he wants. Vera Farmiga does a superb job as Alex his female alter-ego and the scenes they share are amongst the most memorable in the film with the two actors enjoying a real chemistry together. In the interests of keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible I will leave those of you that haven't yet seen the movie to enjoy what I thought was a very satisfying ending yourselves.
I am not a massive Clooney fan but this is quite possibly his best work since 2005's Good Night, and Good Luck for me. He quite simply 'is' Ryan Bingham. His mannerisms, delivery of lines and whole persona radiate a man that understands what it means to be on the road and believe me I know. This film was actually quite a personal one for me as for the last 3 years I have spent over half of each year away from home on planes, in hotels and often in rental cars and yes, chasing miles! I understand completely the scene in which Bingham and Alex compare frequent flier programs and if you are reading this as an elite member of any hotel or airline reward program I know you will understand it too (right Chris & Jan?!).
So many things hit the mark in the film, directing, lead actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay and soundtrack all should take home awards. It might seem to some to be a morality play but that surely isn't what the director intended. Yes, Reitman is showing a man who has turned his back on commitment and in time realizes what he has missed because of that but Up in the Air doesn't judge. It's a film that just shows a man making choices, good ones, bad ones, it's all a matter of opinion. It doesn't hurt of course that Clooney plays Bingham as an eminently likable individual (for someone who fires people for a living) but I think even if his flaws were more on display as an audience we still wouldn't want to pass judgement.
Reitman has written and directed a first class film. It's so rare that the experience ever lives up to the kind of hype this film received but this is one of those occassions. Funny, thoughtful, sad and satisfying, this is one movie you simply can't miss.
Rating: *****
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