A surprisingly good movie.

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2011)

From the box and the synopsis on the back you might think Up In the Air is a typical Hollywood romance/drama that anyone without an X chromosome should try to avoid like the plague, it isn't. Sure there is a romantic element to the story and it plays a vital role in the film but it isn't a smothering love story full of such clichés as long walks on the beach and romantic candlelight dinners. Up In the Air is a story about a man who thinks he has it all figured out, until he realizes that perhaps he does not, or maybe he did after all.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) fires people. When companies want to outsource the unpleasantness of terminating large numbers of employees they call his boss and he is on a plane to the next city to dish out the bad news. Bingham loves his life on the road, in a different city every night, no ties to hold him back, just him, his carry on, and his miles. He even makes it a point to occasionally give motivational speeches to groups about the virtues of his spartan lifestyle. With nothing to weigh him down he is totally free. Everything is fine until a new hire at his firm, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), proposes a bold plan to utilize video conferencing to fire people instead of doing it in person. Bingham detests the idea as it will completely turn his life upside down so in a desperate attempt to sabotage the plan he convinces his boss to send young Alex out with him into the field to learn about the business she is about to destroy.
What follows is a wonderful example of a character driven movie. With each scene we get so see a little bit more of Ryan Bingham and how his relationships, or lack thereof, have shaped his life and molded him into the man he is. Clooney is determined and confident but not ruthless or arrogant, he is likable, competent, and he has sort of a zen thing going on with his life philosophy. Later in the film he starts to perhaps have some second thoughts about his take on things and watching the character grow on screen is a real pleasure. I won't give away the ending but I will say that it is not all sunshine and lollipops like so many Hollywood films are. Up In the Air is a serious film that is presented in a manner that makes it light, funny, and enjoyable.