Up in the Air (2009)
Up in the Air Directed by Jason Reitman Written by Jason Reitman; Sheldon Turner Starring George Clooney; Vera Famiga; Anna Kendrick; Jason Bateman; Danny McBride; Melanie Lynskey; Amy Morton; Sam Elliott; JK Simmons; Zach Galifinakis
As Hollywood continues to churn out its ceaseless parade of banal, vapid pablum there is, seemingly, a steadily increasing dearth of films made for adults with a functioning brain. This is not to contend that Up in the Air is a particularly trenchant, innovative, or intellectually challenging experience, but compared to what passes for mainstream, mass marketed quality nowadays, this one is something of an anomaly. It’s an example of what one might imagine modern Hollywood films could be - big stories with movie stars to appeal to wider audiences, but containing enough discernible intelligence and humanity to make the characters and events recognizable as something vaguely real-life-like.
Following Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Jason Reitman, Up in the Air’s talented 32 year old director, has now made three engaging films in a row (his first three, by the way) - something that cannot be said for many directors working within the system. The Los Angeles native, and offspring of long time comedy director/producer Ivan Reitman (who also produces here), is quickly establishing himself as a unique voice with an eye for quality material.
George Clooney plays Clooney here - officially Ryan Bingham, a corporate axe man working for a Nebraska based company who finds himself facing professional extinction (or at least reorganization). As one of our most well-known bachelors, Clooney might be channeling aspects of his own personal life, inhabiting a character who defiantly rails again the merits of permanent personal attachment. Ryan spends most of his year on the road, commuting state to state by way of a series of rental cars, low grade luxury hotels, airports, lounges and bars, and planes; taking pleasure in the benefits his frequent flyer business status affords him. On the side, he accepts paid motivational speaking gigs, preaching the beauty of a life unencumbered to corporate conference audiences.
Ryan’s age is never specified, though (given Clooney’s real life numbers) we would have to assume that he is at least 45, making him a middle-aged man on the downslope. Though evidently oblivious to the emptiness and shallowness that define his personal life (he appears virtually unfazed when an ongoing sexual relationship with his younger, attractive next door neighboor ends), as well as the shaky morality of what he does for a living, it seems inevitable that at some point in the future he will be in for a realization that he is, in fact, alone. This is the crux of the film, so of course we are privy to the set of circumstances that will lead him to confront his existence.
Enter into the mix four women who will have a profound (though not individually predictable) impact on the way Ryan views his lifestyle and future. Vera Famiga is Alex, a slightly younger version of Ryan himself, a well coiffed businesswoman equally game for a romantic relationship devoid of obligations, commitment, or ties. Anna Kendrick plays Natalie, an Ivy educated, uptight whiz kid neophyte out to change the way the company does business. Finally, Melanie Lynskey and Amy Morton are Ryan’s neglected younger sisters, people he has all but cut out of his solitary life. Traveling back to Wisconsin for one of their weddings, however, he is forced to again deal with them, as well as his self-imposed exile from his home and extended family.
Up in the Air is based on the 2001 novel (Reitman and Sheldon Turner wrote the script) by Walter Kirn, who previously penned Thumbsucker (1999), which too was subsequently made into a quality film. Shot by Eric Steelberg (Juno; 500 Days of Summer), the visuals are excellent, and there is (like in Juno) a creative opening credit sequence. There are also several effective segments featuring real life fired workers from Detroit and St. Louis who were told they were being interviewed for a documentary, a facet that imbues the film with a resonance it might have otherwise lacked. These portions were added in response to the recent economic downturn, a decision that ties the film to the many Americans who have recently faced layoffs and firings themselves.
Danny McBride has an amusing turn as Ryan’s soon to be brother in law. Cameos by JK Simmons; Sam Elliott; and Zack Galifanakis add flavor. Downsizing and the ongoing technologization of the workplace are relevant and timely themes, and there are ideas about family/commitment/love as it relates to personal freedom and professional success. The theme of human connectivity runs throughout the film as well, as Ryan begins confronting his life as others see it, with the cold anonymity of traveling on the road juxtaposed with the warmth of Ryan’s hometown roots. A quality, well paced story with a bevy of humor, snappy dialogue, and engaging performances from an impressive cast.