Up In The Air

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2010)

Up In The Air is about a middle aged man named Ryan Bingham, who works for a large company who has hired Ryan, along with many others to professionally let people go of their jobs. Ryan, will fly all across America and is paid by other companies to do their dirty work, which in this case, is letting go of employees. Ryan has been doing this for years and feels he has a certain technique and style to it. He also doesn't have a place of residence other than a hotel room and otherwise most days of the year he is on airplanes, travelling and in various assorted hotel rooms. Ryan also does professional speeches on how to lose baggage (for example relationships and stress that goes along with it). Ryan seems like the perfect person to deliver these types of speeches because he has not one bit of baggage. He has never been married and has no real emotional connections and claims to like it that way. Things change however, after he meets a woman while at one of the hotels. Her name is Alex, and after meeting a couple times, Ryan starts to decide, whether or not he should eventually get over his fear, or dislike of commitment and finally do something in that area of his life. Another part of the story focuses on Ryan's new co-worker named Natalie, who is an overly confident young woman, who goes on the road, or should I see in the air, with Ryan to different destinations to learn how to fire people properly. At least that is what Ryan calls it. The film looks at many different kinds of relationships and characteristics of these characters and also is right on time with it's back story of letting go of employees due to the current financial recession being felt all over the world. Up In The Air works for several reasons. One, I think is the well layered characters here. For example, Ryan the main character. He comes off as quite sure of himself and what he is doing and many people seem to think he is quite happy with his lifestyle and the choices he has made. However as we watch the film we start to realize that maybe that is just a front he is putting on and deep down he is a sad and lonely person and perhaps scared to commit to any kind of relationship, perhaps out of fear and because he is so used to his lifestyle and change is never easy. Alex and Natalie are well developed characters as well and we get to see more about them through the film and it is just as intriguing and interesting to watch as with Ryan's character. All of these characters are brought to life by great performances by George Clooney (Ryan), Vera Farmiga (Alex) and Anna Kendrick (Natalie). They are deep and layered performances and we feel as if we have gotten to know these characters quite well after watching them, but on the plus side, there is also some mystery left to them, which leads the viewer to some intriguing thoughts and deconstruction of the film after being viewed. Count on Oscar nominations for all three acting performances. The film's script is also a winner blending in comedy, tragedy and real life melodrama. Not once does the film feel unrealistic, or sugar coated and it is one of the more believable and realistic films dealing with relationships in the past little while and because there are no easy answers to these characters, or their situations, I think the way they are handled is very appropriate. And again the depth and layers to these characters plus some good dialogue and occasional humour lead to a sure to be nominated best adapted screenplay as well as best director for Jason Reitman. Up In The Air is a powerful film in many ways. I think for many it will leave us reflecting on our past, or present and think about the situations and current times we are in. It definitely leaves an impact on the viewer and will have you thinking, which I think a great film does. It blends sadness and humour quite well and makes for an intriguing watch. One of the best films of 2009 and will continue to be a winner among the awards circuits and for good reasons too.