Customer Reviews

Up in the Air [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(73)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Hard to understand how a movie that manages to make you feel down in the dumps in many instances can have you laughing out loud the rest of the way. Perhaps because UP IN THE AIR is a movie so very full of surprises and complete knowledge of its main subject (I swear the next time I go through security in an airport I'll be looking for the oriental businessmen and avoid babies at all costs).
All throughout the movie I was expecting the obvious conclusion (the firer being fired) and was surprised to get something completely different in return, but even UP IN THE AIR's schocker scene, managed to make so much sense it's hard for me to understand how I didn't see it coming.
There's no question in my mind UP IN THE AIR will be the movie future generations will look back in trying to understand this particular era we live in. It is quiet simply a classic.

After a while, it gets pretty tiring to have nearly every Hollywood movie either overtly or subtly suggest that real happiness lies in marriage and family. I love this movie because it asks us to consider that happiness is personal, not cookie-cutter. The protagonist loves his life of traveling and the lack of ties that go along with it. Some might see this as melancholy, and at times it is portrayed that way in the movie, but overall, it's clear that what most people want is not what the protagonist wants. I love the realistic, insightful way that this different outlook on life is presented in this movie.

This hybrid comedy-drama-romance is a rare treat that honestly addresses job loss, love and relationships without resorting to common cliches or contrived situations. George Clooney and co-star Vera Farmiga are reminiscent of Cary Grant and Deobrah Kerr in An Affair To Remember.

Vera Farmiga is the strong, female co-star Clooney has long needed. She is beautiful, sophisticated and restrained, similar in many aspects to Brigit Bardot and Sophia Loren. She is Ukrainian but was raised in America. However, she did not speak English as a child which probably explains her elegant restraint when speaking English. Men will truly enjoy the brief but wonderful scene of Farmiga naked in Clooney's motel room. Wow, what a hot body.

Clooney is superb as a confident, insensitive but charming employee terminator during the economic collapse of 2008. Clooney works for a corporate consulting company based in Omaha, Nebraska that performs the dirty work for spineless business owners. It is a thriving business during the 2007-2009 recession. This movie was released during late 2009.

Clooney as Ryan Bingham boasts that during the previous year he spent 322 days on the road, flying from city to city in pursuit of victims. But, one day while sitting a hotel bar, he initiates a conversation with Vera Farmiga playing Alex Goran, a fellow road-warrior and corporate shark, equally consumed by frequent flyer perks and privileges. They end up in bed but the traditional, cliche love story never evolves.

The script is superb as is Farmiga who previously appeared in The Departed by Martin Scorsese and the 2004 remake of the Manchurian Candidate. Obviously, she is not an obscure actress but this role was meant for her. She plays her character with incredible charm, grace and sexual vitality telling Clooney "Just think of me as yourself with a vagina." Although captivated by Clooney's charm and appearance, Alex always remains his alter-ego much to his dismay.

In the end, Clooney is consumed by a life free from personal responsiblity and the daily toil of earth-bound inhabitants as he pursues his goal of becoming the seventh person in the world to achieve 10-million frequent flyer miles. I don't know if American Airlines paid a fee to partially sponsor this film but it is a long-form commercial for American Airlines elite frequent flyer awards program which bestows unique privileges to a select group of travellers.

The screenplay by Sheldon Turner and director Jason Reitman was adapted from the 2001 novel by Walter Kirn. It should be studied by screenwriting students at cinema schools because it is a rare example of honestly addressing difficult issues such as job loss and life without love. And, Jason Reitman should be applauded for honestly presenting the devestating effects of economic collapse while simultaneously entertaining us. It is both rare and rewarding to see documentary film seamlessly interwoven in a fictional story. Instead of resorting to token cliches, Reitman gives us real victims expressing their rage and anguish after losing long-time jobs.

This film is a tribute to great writing, acting, directing and producing. It successfully embraces comedy and tragedy and is truly enjoyable to watch.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has carved out a life of weightlessness (almost). He's an executive for an out-placement firm that is engaged when a company needs to get rid of large swatches of their employees. He's pared down his existence to a single carry-on; so much so that he's beginning to carve out a side career teaching others how to shed their possessions, their obligations, even their relationships and loved ones.

He lacks one of the key elements of what it is to be human. He's almost estranged from his family, he has no wife, no kids, no pets, not even a houseplant. He does have a good business relationship with his boss, his assistant, and that's pretty much it. He is so detached that he doesn't even notice anything is missing. But, things will soon happen that shake up his world.

On first viewing, I admired the acting (especially Clooney), the set design, the lighting, the cinematography, and the sound. The story itself was clever, but the movie watcher really knew what was going to happen. Bingham was going to experience something (or someone) that would make him realize that his goal of being the seventh person to achieve the coveted 10 million mile status (the youngest to get there) paled in comparison to his startling lack of human involvement. The movie was extremely well directed (by Jason Reitman) and well achieved, but curiously non-involving. It's good, but it's not a film that will be taken down from the DVD shelf very often.

It's only after watching the commentary with director Reitman that I really appreciated the craft of the movie. This commentary is why DVD special features were invented. Playing the movie with the commentary on added a whole other dimension to the film. Reitman grew up on Hollywood, his dad produced the film (Ivan Reitman), and he has many, many stories to tell about the making of the film. So many, in fact, that he hardly ever stops talking. There are two other members of the crew on the commentary, but you seldom hear from them. Reitman just won't let them get a word in. He's good and very entertaining to listen to, but why even have the other guys there? And yet, he is entertaining as hell. What a great dinner companion he would be. Once he got going, you'd just sit back and listen.

I do have to also comment on the film's 'fired folks'. Some of them are actors, but most of them are non-actors who were asked by Reitman to appear on camera and sort of relive their own firings. These non-actors were very, very good, and certainly lent an air of authenticity to the film. A stroke of brilliance to include these people.

Three and a half stars for 'Up in the Air'. Four-and-a-half for the DVD extras (there's also an interesting interview with the company that did the opening shot, and other aerials in the film).

George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick give the best performances of their careers in Jason Reitman's Up in the Air. In the movie (an adaptation of Walter Kim's novel), Clooney plays a man that flies around the country to fire people and business is booming. He is a man that values a life free from any kind of connections or attachments whatsoever and treasures his 300 plus days of life on the road. In fact he is shooting for 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles that would make him part of a selected group of individuals. While on the road, he meets Vera Farmiga's character. As she puts it, she is exactly like him but has a vagina. When he returns home, he is introduced to Anna Kendrick's character. She wants to computerize the firing process in order to reduce costs. Fearing that his life on the road is in jeopardy, he takes her on the road with him to show her that firing people face to face is better than doing it over a computer screen. There are many things that make this film unique. Real life victims of firing were in the film and they relived some of their experiences. Another thing is that we end up liking Clooney's character even though he can be a very unlikable one at times. We see his entire philosophy in action but end up liking and feeling sorry for him by the end of the film. That is a remarkable feat in itself. Finally, there are many ways to describe this film. One could say that it is a film about a man that goes around the country firing people. Another could say it is about a man trying to obtain 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles. Another could say that is about a man finally willing to make a connection with another person. One more could say that it is about the country's recession. In fact, it is all of these. Jason Reitman deserves credit for being able to combine comedy and drama in order to create not only one of the best films of 2009 but also one of the best films ever made.

`Up In The Air' is a film that follows a man called Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) who travels around America firing people for various businesses and clocks up millions of air miles in the process. He prides himself on his independence and ability to have no responsibilities or commitments and seems to live a highly charmed life. That is until a young woman joins his company and tries to change the business model so he will eventually become grounded and virtually obsolete himself. He also strikes up an unusual relationship with a fellow traveller which starts to break down his hard outer shell and brings some real warmth to both Bingham and the film. Although there are some very funny moments in this film, this is not an outright comedy and in fact by the end it is tinged with a certain amount of sadness. Clooney plays his role excellently and I don't think I have seen him act as well as in this film. He is charming, detached, vulnerable, funny and more besides and manages to portray his character superbly. The other actors are also very good and Vera Farmiga is great as the fellow traveller who wends her way into his life. This is a gentle film and is very well written and this had me laughing out loud at times and also feeling a certain sadness at the end as well. The direction is great and I feel this to be one of Jason Reitman's better films to date and if he carries on like this then things can only get better. All in all this made for just over 100 minutes entertaining viewing and whilst it has a slightly downbeat feel to it, you will still reach the end having enjoyed it and with a sense of satisfaction.

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I thought Jason Reitman's "Up In the Air" was the best movie of 2009. The Hurt Locker was good but overhyped. The under-the-radar (in this country) BBC made-for-TV two-part docudrama Occupation - Series 1 ( Occupation - Series One ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2.4 Import - United Kingdom ] was better than 'The Hurt Locker' in many respects.

About 'Up In the Air': rarely has a film so incisively and painfully captured the spirit of the moment - mass layoffs, soulless firings, disconnected and transient lives. Welcome to Corporate America, recession, jobless recoveries, the threat of double-dip recession and the possibility of more of the same over a long term. Reitman's film nails the fallout from all that. His coup is that interspersed amongst the scripted drama are interviews with real laid-off workers. You can tell when these pop up in the narrative - there is real, palpable fear, anger and disappointment voiced to which no scripted work could do justice. Reitman juxtaposes those pieces with the production line-like layoff work conducted by the characters portrayed by George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Jason Bateman. It's great film-making that serves to shake the heart and confidence of any working viewer.

There's also some nice work here in smaller roles by the always good J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis and - in a slightly bigger role - Danny McBride as Clooney's character's soon-to-be (or maybe not-to-be) brother-in-law. And you'll burst out laughing when Sam Elliott makes his brief but all-too-perfect cameo.

UP IN THE AIR (2009). Director: Jason Reitman. Based on the novel by Walter Kirn. 109 minutes. Winner of a ton of deserved Oscars, though not enough and not one for George Clooney. Clooney may be blessed--with Nick Clooney for a father, the late Jose Ferrer as an uncle, several Oscars and the shoe-in to play Cary Grant in any biopic in the works...but this film proves his luck.

Ever been fired? I have--once--and this film begins by opening your eyes to what it is like. Several people are replying to the news that they have just been fired, one after the other, and your heart bleeds. They get angry, fall apart, whine like children. Oh yes, I recall the feeling. The humiliation, the jeers I imagined coming from all directions.

Ryan Bingham (a radiant George Clooney) is the senior point man for the Career Transition Corporation--he flies about the nation firing people whose bosses are too scared to do it themselves. He is a proud, upright man who wants to feel for his victims--but he has no time for that. This man is a traveler, and a pro. He's like a martial artist, with every move choreographed from his tie collection with its very own leather carrying case to his Moonwalking out of his loafers at airport security. It was like watching a hilarious dance, from hotel rooms to onboard the planes.

And he's just this side of 10 million frequent flyer miles...domestic!

This film is, I have to say, THE most powerful statement about our economy, our national spirit and our loneliness. Woody Allen could not have made this film as good as it is. There is side-splitting repartee reminiscent of Allen's salad days; example, Bingham stewardess asks him if he'd like the cancer. The CANCER? Yes, would you like the cancer? Bingham is bewildered until the stewardess says WOULD-YOU-LIKE-THE-CAN-SIR?--referring to his beverage can. He rolls his eyes at her gross amateurism. That is how experienced he is.

In fact the airport terminal/lounge is his home. Though a Wisconsin native, and the home office is in Omaha, Nebraska, Bingham's given up the lousy apartment he had there and simply whisks into the office and back out again.

All that is threatened when young Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) steps in as a new hiree. She's there to computerize everything, and pull all the 'firing agents' off the road. The assassins must come in out of the cold, and Bingham does not like it. He challenges her, and soon they are on a firing trip together. They form a father-daughter type of bond, yet in the end they separate again.

While Bingham woos his port-in-the-storm girlfriend Alex (Vera Farmiga), Natalie slowly crumbles under the weight of firing people. She simply cannot do the job. Bingham, while understanding and helpful, sees she is not right for it. In fact Bingham leaves her fairly shark-bitten when he challenges her to theoretically fire him, to prove his point.

Ryan Bingham can manage to ferry his victims across the River Styx with gentle, professional calm. He's like a shrink, and naturally resents Natalie's psychology degree. Yet the whole idea falls through anyway, with Natalie quitting and other unexpected results. Bingham, pursuing Alex, finds her married with children. She tells him her family is everything to her...he on the other hand is nothing but company on the road. Normally we see men do that sort of thing to women!

The cinematography is smooth and perfect, a bit 'mockumentary' at times; the soundtrack is well suited to this film. No overboard anything...but the lessons here! You MUST SEE THIS! The sadness of this film is seeing what matters (and what doesn't) to today's work force. In the end it isn't jobs: it's family. Some of the cameos here will show you what I mean.

Bingham will learn that hard lesson but he will learn too late, as the fired individuals in a way are telling his story on certain levels. Zeitgeist isn't everything, and this film proves it. UP IN THE AIR is never patronizing, insulting or harsh. Yet it is so subtly funny you will really not know when to start/stop laughing. The "interviews" at the end, with the fired people saying their families helped them through it all, well....

It seems the tone etc. of this film was inspired by a friend of director Jason Reitman's, who played him a song called "Up In the Air", which he wrote after getting fired. If this movie got no Oscars, all of Hollywood deserves a visit from Ryan Bingham. Certainly the two people who did NOT win an Oscar here: Clooney and the guy who wrote the original novel.

My review seems piecemeal because, like Clooney's animated role FANTASTIC MR. FOX, this is something you have to see to believe...and enjoy like few other films you've ever seen. The really special goodies you will have to see/hear for yourself!

I looked up dark comedy in the dictionary and it had "Up in the Air" by it. There isn't much plot to the movie, yet it keeps moving. It makes a statement about following your dreams, family, and goals as Clooney's words somehow always come back to haunt him. I had to laugh at loud when Sam Elliot came back to talk to Clooney about joining the 10 million mile club. Shades of "The Big Lebowski." I kept expecting him to call George "dude" and tell him he was his father. The movie is bittersweet at times and sad at others, although not a tear jerker. I was confused about his occupation. He is paid to come into an industry and tell the workers they are laid off. Doesn't HR fire people? Do they really hire an outside company to do that? The irony of a man who fires people for a living speaking at a conference called "Goalquest" is a bit Orwellian. The best line in the movie was during a firing that he allowed his young assistant to do. She got into trouble, so Clooney the master ax man, steps in and says, "Do you know why kids love ball players?" The old man says "Because the make a lot of money and have sex with beautiful women." Clooney responds, "No, that is why we love them. The reason why kids love them is because they followed their dream." He then convinces the man he can be a hero to grand kids by leaving this job and following his dream.

For each of the three feature films Jason Reitman has directed, he has consistently set the bar very high for the source material he willing to adapt. While no source material will probably ever equal that which inspired Thank You for Smoking, Walter Kirn's novel is at least in the same league. While I'm not normally prone to lavish praise on George Clooney, after seeing his performance I would be hard pressed to cast another in the role of Ryan Bingham. He is confident without being smug with a disarming charm mild enough to keep from raising undue suspicion. And, curiously enough, he is genuinely careful to break the bad news to the soon-to-be-unemployed as painlessly as possible with their pride not only intact but even bolstered.

The rising drama of the story comes when a very bright and even more ambitious young graduate proposes a means of completely streamlining the human element of what Ryan Bingham does in favor of a computer screen and a T-1 connection to the Internet. It's difficult to say whether it is understandable or ironic that Bingham would take such offense to the notion, but he is certainly offended! His punishment for not keeping that opionion to himself? He gets to personally train the young woman who made the proposal for virtual firing. At first, he is incredulous but he quickly realizes that this is really the best way to make his point and make it stick!

The reason I so loved Thank You for Smoking was that it made NO apologies for what it was, an absolutely ruthless satire! Unlike it or Juno, this at times tries a little too hard to not offend the sensibilities of a mainstream audience. Great premise and great direction, but I do wish some of the same ruthlessness that marked Reitman's first two films was present here as well. There should have been a menagerie of women with whom Ryan Bingham would cavort before he tried to make things work with one. And the second to last scene should have been him looking at all of these other women and feeling even more distant from that opposite sex than ever. That, for me at least, would have made the romantic elements of this story far less formulaic.

But, all in all, this film deserved far more attention that it received. It should have been a _real_ contender for best picture and not that mindless slop that Cameron was serving! The Blu-ray disc is a worthy addition to the collection of anyone who cherishes intelligent films over special effects extravaganzas.