Up in the air movie review

Rating: 6/10 (29 April 2016)

Up in the Air: Film Review
Firing people now-a-days has become more and more of a hassle as the economy jumps up or falls down. This is the arena where Ryan Bingham, George Clooney, shines. He is a part of a business that goes from business to business doing the dirty deed of firing employees they cannot keep. This plays to the general theme about the idea of the movie that nothing lasts forever. This theme theory plays upon the idea that he rarely sleeps in his own home while on the move between plane rides, has his heart played with by Alex Goran who is played by Vera Farmiga, and also how he fires people for a living. He wants to find love, but believes that it will not pan out. Throughout the film, Ryan has to bring along an associate to get her used to the firing business and it turns into a hilarious eye opening experience for him. Her name is Natalie Keener, played by Anna Kendrick, and she brings up story plots items that affect the outcome of the movie such as: losing her boyfriend, helping play match maker for Ryan and Alex, introducing a new way to fire people that could jeopardize Ryan's way of life, etc. That is enough of the storyline without spoiling the fun, next we discuss the stars of the movie and mechanics of the film at work. (Reitman, 2009).
As addressed above, George Clooney plays the main character of Ryan Bingham, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick play the secondary characters of Alex Goran and Natalie Keener. After these three, the film has many famous actors that you have seen around in many of today's modern films, or may not have become popular yet until long after, such as: Jason Bateman who plays Craig Gregory or Ryan's boss, Zach Galifianakis who plays the small background role of Steve who is being fired at the beginning of the movie, Melanie Lynskey who plays Julie Bingham, and J.K. Simmons who also plays a small role of bob who is also being fired by Ryan. Other notable actors are Chris Lowell who plays Kevin, Sam Elliot who plays Maynard Finch, Amy Morton who plays Kara Bingham, Danny McBride who plays Jim Miller and many more. (Reitman, 2009). This movie is filled with montage work addressing how Ryan lives on a day to day basis towards the beginning, the relationship blooming between him and Alex Goran, and during his visits to hotels and jobs. This also involves a lot of jump shots throughout the film when there are not montage bits due to the fact that we do not want to watch the whole plane rides, or them constantly checking in and out of hotel rooms or the airports in general. This movie is very, I guess you could say, focused on the nothing lasts forever theme. The lighting generally feels brighter and welcoming when he is in the airports and on the move. The lighting is dimmed whenever he is forced into a spot for too long or he is in hotel rooms alone. This implies that he is getting tired of being alone, and keeps moving to keep him at his feeling of being home. These all tie into this relevant theme idea. The movie has its merits and a large cast of big name actors, the only downfall I have for this movie is its sudden ending with questions being raised. This also, though, may be a part of the theme with things being Up in the Air. (Petrie & Boggs, 2012).
References Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. 2012. In The Art of Watching Films 8th ed. McGraw Hill. Reitman, J. Director. 2009. Up in the Air.Motion Picture.