Up in the Air

Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, Danny McBride, Zach Galifinakis
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a constant traveler, flying around the country to fire people. He lives an isolated life, striving to reach his goal of achieving 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles. His comfortable existence is threatened when a new employee (Anna Kendrick) proposes doing the firing over the internet, as well as when he meets a beautiful woman (Vera Farmiga) who shares his love of travel.

Review:

Tim: Up in the Air is a beautiful, powerful, emotional movie that has a great deal of depth to it. The story is a timely one, but also taps into the very elements of what makes us human. Director Jason Reitman does a superb job of crafting a movie about a man and his goal, but also about what makes us all human. I love the film's tagline- The story of a man ready to make a connection. Isn't that what we are all searching to do?

I love the idea of man who lives his life devoid of connections. A public speaker who speaks on the idea that our belongs and our relationships are a weight that holds us down. And then, seeing how some of the those ideas and beliefs start to break down. The story of Ryan Bingham is a powerful, iconic one. It also happens to be incredibly entertaining and exciting. Reitman delivers a film here that has a great deal of drama, but is also surprisingly funny and heart-warming as well. This is one of those films that mixes all of those elements together in perfect proportions, resulting in a rare mix that fits together beautifully. This was one of my favorite movies of 2009, and indeed, of the entire decade.

The cast was absolutely perfect. George Clooney again proves why he is the biggest movie star in the world. He gives an effortlessly charming performance that makes it impossible not to like him. He is so good in these roles, and this one is among my all time favorite. He made this movie, but in small ways. He is never flashy or over-the-top. I greatly appreciated his performance.

He has some help as well. Vera Farmiga was the right person for her role. I won't say that I loved her in this movie, but I would not have wanted anyone else in the role. She matches Clooney well, which is not easy to do. She was believable in my eyes as his equal. They work very well together. I loved Anna Kendrick in this film. She was terrific. She gives a career making performance, and worked extremely well with Clooney. I only knew the littlest bit about Kendrick before this movie, but after her performance here, I am a fan.

The rest of the supporting cast is decent. I don't like Jason Bateman, but he was fine here. I liked seeing J.K. Simmons and Zach Galifinakis, but I wish they had more screen time. I thought the casting of Danny McBride and Melanie Lynskey was perfect, and they worked well in the film. I also briefly want to mention Sam Elliott- he was brilliantly cast, and his brief screen time was among my favorite of the entire film.

I was surprised at how funny this movie turned out to be. I found myself laughing out loud at various moments. It was the perfect balance between drama and comedy, which the emphasis on the drama- but the comedy coming at key times. This is really a story about so much of our contemporary human life- about the joys and pains of traveling, about trying to connect with people. It is a story about losing our jobs, and finding our souls. This movie tells a beautiful story in an entertaining, wonderful way. I loved watching this movie, and I became instantly engaged in the story and characters.

Up in the Air is a terrific movie. I was shocked and disappointed that it didn't receive more critical acclaim than it did. Sure, it was loved and was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, but it did not win a single one. I was disappointed in it going 0 for 6, as I thought it deserved better. Regardless, this is one of my favorite movies, and it is absolutely a pleasure to watch.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8.5



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