I'm here to be fired, Right?

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2010)

Ryan walks into the classroom, sees Jim reading the Velveteen Rabbit. Ryan asks about Jim having second thoughts about marrying his sister Julie. Jim replies, " I started thinking about the wedding and the ceremony, and then us buying a house, having a kid, another kid, Christmas and Thanksgiving, spring break, football games, then they get jobs, get married, and now I'm a grandparent, retired, losing my hair, getting fat, and then I'm dead. What's the point? What's the Point?" Ryan stands there, doesn't know what to say. Ironically, he's a motivational speaker and preaches everything Jim just said. He tells people not to get married, but to live a more isolated and independent life.
The movie Up in the Air is a depressing comedy of sorts, I think their called dramedy's but I don't use words highlighted in red as soon as you type them. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a professional Terminator, who flies all around the country to fire people. He also works, as I mentioned, as a motivational speaker. He is Up in the Air (pun intended) for over 300 days a year. The airport terminals, the planes, the hotels, and even the employees who greet him with the same dull line every time he flies, has become Ryan's home. As he put it, to know Ryan one must fly with Ryan. However, for about 50 days a year, Ryan comes back to his other home in Omaha, Nebraska. It is here where his life is threatened when new employee Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) has a cost cutting idea of terminating people via web cam. Ryan points out the obvious flaws of the system, what if the employee walked out, he becomes violent, breaks the equipment, etc... but the boss (Jason Bateman) loves the cost cutting idea, and wants to give it a shot. He teams up Natalie with Ryan to educate her in the ways of Termination.
This is two learning experiences, as Natalie learns how deep and personal firing someone actually is, and about Ryan and his life of isolation, which she simply does not understand and does not want to even believe exists. Ryan, meanwhile, becomes more involved in Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fling who also flies around the country. Alex is, as she says, Ryan with a Vagina. Ryan begins to form a connection with these two, and begins to question his life of isolation.
The performances steal the show. George Clooney is charming as usual, but it's a deep performance. He is cold and distant, but through out the movie he learns that maybe his life of isolation isn't good for him, and there is this confused vulnerability to his character. Should he let these people in? Should he ignore them? Vera Farmiga is very strong as Alex, there was great chemistry between George and Vera throughout the whole movie, and Vera does not back down one bit. The repartee between the two was really something to behold, you just don't see it anymore. Anna Kendrick almost steals the movie. She is hilarious, but her character is not a joke. Natalie is determined, strong, smart, but the most vulnerable of all the characters. Just coming out of college with a psychology major, she had this grand plan and her life was going to be perfect, but life is never perfect. Anna plays the part beautifully, she hits all the notes. When Natalie is first there she has this peppy positive outlook, and then she gets kicked in the face by reality, but remains strong.
Jason Reitman, who wrote and directed this, deserves as much praise as the actors. These are his characters and he tuned the actors to play the parts perfectly, something I feel is forgotten about directing. The tone was, I thought, worked beautifully with the film. The very first scene, a man is getting fired, doesn't know what to do, and Ryan gives him packet, and says "Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's because they sat there that they were able to do it." Immediately the guy feels optimistic about him being let go, doesn't know if everything will work out, but it has a chance to work out. This film takes us down the exact path, a dark tunnel with a light at the end, and this is where the film takes the most criticism, The end.
I won't give away to much, but you might be like a lot of other people, and feel as though you were fooled. I can understand where people are coming from, and I'd agree to a certain extent. The film does trick you, but I felt as though it gave me clues about the trick through out the entire film. The trick, works for some, and doesn't work for others.
You should see Up in the Air. You might be left with this bitter taste in your mouth, but it's still worth a taste, and you might really enjoy it.