Jason Reitman Is Becoming One Of My Favourite Directors

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2010)

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a guy who has distant himself from family and friends. So much that he is a motivational speaker about only caring about things that really matter, or that can fit in your back pack. His job requires him to fly around the country firing people. Once this young hot shot girl comes along, she brings with her technology, a computer that makes it easier to fire people from the comfort of your own office. No more expensive flights for those guys like Bingham flying around firing people, this obviously causes a problem for him.
I always thought that the success of Juno was more because of Reitman than Cody, yet she was the one who got all the accolades. Both Juno and Thank You For Smoking are hilarious films with heart and are competently directed from Reitman. Both contain dark humour and themes (smoking/teen pregnancy) and yet they never cross that line of bad taste. Up In The Air is a welcomed addition and it follows the success and hilarity of Reitman's previous two films. Up In The Air is not my favourite Reitman film, that would be Thank You For Smoking, but it's his most mature work and it shows us that if he is this good now, what he has to deliver in the future will be marvelous.
Clooney is the lead, he has numerous plastic cards in his wallet for just about everything. Airlines, rental cars, hotel suits - he never throws them away, which comes back to hurt him when he has to try 3 or 4 of them before finding the right hotel room key. He meets Alex, played by Vera Farmiga, she is exactly like Ryan, the only difference between them, according to her, is that she has a vagina. Clooney belittles the new girl Natalie, played by Anna Kendrick, who brings in new technology, but is inexperienced in the 'art' of firing people. Or in their words, letting people go so they can make an easier transition to another stage in their lives. Jason Bateman, who is Clooney's boss, forces him to take the new girl under his wing on some firing trips, before they install these new computers. It's not a sexual relationship at all, it's more of a mentor and student relationship. Clooney and Farmiga have a purely sexual relationship, until Clooney starts to fall for her and must re-evaluate his life.
Along the way he must take a cardboard cutout of his sister and her fiancé, you know "like that French gnome movie", funny Amélie reference. Natalie begins challenging all of Ryan's beliefs in life. The chemistry between the two is not only funny, but it feels real. A father figure, for her when she needs to learn about life, in her job and relationships. The romance between Clooney and Farmiga is genuine and depressing. I was able to predict some things from the film, but the way it unfolds mixes the reality of the character's lonely life into the comedic elements of the film. The film balances both of these pretty well and it never weighs one over the other.
As mentioned before Bateman is Clooney's boss, his role is not as funny as some would expect from him, given his resume, but he does well. As does everyone else, Zach Galifianakis and J.K. Simmons have bit parts as two employees who lose their jobs. Clooney falls into the role perfectly, he's a normal guy with elite status. He thinks he's better than others, but he doesn't have to think it. He by passes people in lines waiting to buy their tickets, argues the best place to rent a car for luxury and he has a number in mind that he wants to reach in regards of miles flown. If he gets that number, he gets another card to add to his wallet.
Up In The Air is funny in subtle ways and respectable in others. It's story is depressing, especially for these times, but Reitman and Co. manage make it lighthearted. This is probably one of my favourite Clooney performances, he's sly and cool and makes people like him when we should despise such a character. The film is enjoyable and will be recognized come Oscar time. I expect to see the performances being rewarded with nominations and I hope to see Reitman get another one. As I said earlier, if his first three films give any indication as to what his future career will be like, then I'm going to be enjoying all of his films.