Movies and TV Guides: Review Up in the Air

Up in the Air Best Review

Up in the Air is a dark drama told from the point of view of a management consultant and the various people who pass in and out of his life. He spends most of his time on the road. His job, laying people off, is not the most logical source of comedic material.

To many, the foundations of a good film are big name actors, A-list directing and a current subject. But I have always thought that the foundation of any good film is the same as any good book: a good story based upon interesting ideas. In that sense, the most important thing I gained by watching this movie was a keen desire to read the book upon which it was based. I have not yet read the novel Up in the Air by Walter Kirn. But, I will soon. Because this story is based upon extremely interesting ideas.

This is not a *one-size-fits-all* kind of a story. This story will appeal to a certain group of people yet it is bound to polarize audiences. The key thing you have to ask yourself before you purchase this movie is, "Am I in the group of people that will appreciate this movie, or will I be bored with it?" If you are looking for traditional movie entertainment, this movie is NOT for you. It's slow, deliberate, and at times depressing. But if you have a dark sense of humor and can appreciate films that portray life's darkness without apologies, then you will likely appreciate this movie and where it eventually leads.

About 60% of the way through this movie, I was ready to relegate this to the "average" category. Sure, there were a lot of things that I loved about the movie. I could relate to the dialogue and I could see the deeper significance that belies the story. The paradox between isolation and freedom have seldom been dealt with so directly in a mainstream film. And yet there were obvious problems. It is true that some of the dialogue is trite and forced. At times, the movie drags on, though I believe there is a purpose for that. The point is, if you focus on any one element, it is not perfect. In that sense, it's a lot like real life. And in some ways, this movie captures the isolation of travelling for work better than any other that I could think of.

But then at a certain point, the movie comes together. As far as the plot goes, the actual events that occur are all predictable. And yet the plot is executed in an honest way. It never feels like a plot point was added to either throw us off or to conform to a cliché. It feels more like a recounting than a telling of a story, which is the best compliment a dark comedy can receive.

I love the cast of this movie, though to be honest none of them were given tremendously great lines when looked at as individual parts. This movie is really more than a sum of its parts.

While the core plot is very well structured, there are story elements that I might have done differently. Some of the politically incorrect dialogue given to Clooney's character seems forced. Yet the story is strong enough to overcome those small things. By the end of the film, the things that were annoying in the beginning become after-thoughts.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would. I plan on gifting it to like-minded road-warriors with similarly dark humor. This is one of those stories where both the criticism and the praise have elements of truth to them. You will have to determine if it's the right kind of movie for you.

Enjoy.

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Up in the Air Overview

Up in the Air transforms some painful subjects into smart, sly comedy--with just enough of the pain underneath to give it some weight. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) spends most of his days traveling around the country and firing people; he's hired by bosses who don't have the nerve to do their layoffs themselves. His life of constant flight suits him--he wants no attachments. But two things suddenly threaten his vacuum-sealed world: his company decides to do layoffs via video conference so they don't have to pay for travel, and Bingham meets a woman named Alex (Vera Farmiga, The Departed), who seems to be the female version of him… and of course, he starts to fall in love. Writer-director Jason Reitman is building a career from funny but thoughtful movies about compromised people--a pregnant teen in Juno, a cigarette-company executive in Thank You for Smoking. George Clooney has a gift for playing smart men who aren't quite as smart as they think they are (Michael Clayton, Out of Sight). The combination is perfect: Bingham is charming and sympathetic but clearly missing something, and Up in the Air captures that absence with clarity and compassion. The outstanding supporting cast includes Anna Kendrick (Rocket Science), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Danny McBride (Pineapple Express), Melanie Lynskey (Away We Go), and others, each small part pitched exactly right. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Up in the Air (Click for larger image)