Up in the Air

Rating: Null/10 (8 January 2010)

The recent economic downturn has spawned an ungodly amount of corporate corruption documentaries. Ethics chapters have been added to nearly every course in business programs. Pundits of both sides will site lack of religiosity or genuine kindness as explication. People continue to attempt to dissect the situation but not analyze it. Individuals are removed from consideration in favor of large occurrences. For sake of argument, what is to be thought of someone who is part of the thriving business world (yes it still exists)? Does his willful inclusion categorize him as an evil person? The new Jason Reitman film Up in the Air is the most complete evaluation of what happened that I've seen. From both perspectives, the one we are part of and that other one, Reitman paints a portrait of sentimentality that pervades its characters. The interactions between people are all negatively affected by their occupations. Like their external cash flow, they can't keep them in check.
Ryan Bingham (perfectly played by George Clooney) is a professional carrier of broken dreams. His job is to fire people and he is good at it. He can casually walk in a room, tell you some of the worst news imaginable, and walk out for martinis. He keeps himself in perfect shape by having few personal attachments to other people or things. Things would continue like this forever until a new hire, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), suggest that people be fired electronically. Bingham accurately remarks that Natalie has no idea what firing someone is actually like, so he takes her with him on his next duties. She doesn't understand how to distance herself from the people she works with, and realizes this when her boyfriend dumps her via text message. While traveling, Bingham begins an affair with flight attendant Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga). Their affair escalates to real love which ends when it is revealed that Alex is married. Natalie understandably finds other means of employment.
Recently laid off workers were hired as extras in scenes where Bingham fires someone. Our inability to recognize them gives the film much needed authenticity. People shout, cry, curse, or demonize Bingham for his work. He isn't affected by it at all and goes so far as to give motivational speeches on how to be detached from the world. I find it quite ironic how the Eastern ideal of isolation has been legitimated in the West and applied. The film is like a modern day version of Siddhartha, and, like its counterpart, the protagonist ventures into both lust and love with someone before his world crashes on his face. I was terrified when Bingham visits Alex's home. Had he been able to continue his relationship with her, I wouldn't have recommended this film. Quite thankfully, they don't end up together. Extreme success in the corporate world requires some sacrifice of personal emotional fulfillment, even if the person involved is aware of the compromise. Reitman plays this to great comedic effect when Bingham tells Natalie about his ideas. Alex even chuckles in agreement.
In both Juno and Up in the Air Reitman creates self-aware protagonists who find themselves in difficult emotional situations and persevere because they accept reality as is and move on. They do not, in the conventional sense, have to entirely alter their personalities. Both parts of these films necessitate an actor who is capable of trauma yet still humble enough to realize his or her shortcomings. Both films are made for Ellen Page or George Clooney and both characters have insightful things to say with or without Diablo Cody.