An exceptional film that hits home for many viewers

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2011)

I find myself thinking about this film quite often since I first saw it months ago. Ryan Bingham's job is to fly all over the country and fire employees for companies who do not want to deal with it themselves. Bingham prides himself on the amount of flight time he has logged over the years. He avoids returning home if at all possible, and because of this, has little social life to speak of. He is a loner and prefers it that way. Then he meets a woman on his travels and begins to fall for her.
I think my fondness for this film comes from the fact that it hits home so hard for me. My life is nothing like Bingham's, but the overall themes of his experiences mirror my life, and I believe, the life of most anyone who would watch this film today.
"Up In The Air" exposes Bingham's fear of attachment, and his lack of trust for other people. In today's busy world of "get there first" I think many people can relate to this, as so many people seem to only take note of another person if he/she can use him/her for personal gain.
In perhaps the hardest hitting message of this film, Bingham finds out the woman he has fallen in love with is married and has only been using him for an escape. This echoes an all too sad truth of today's world, where love seems to be a forgotten emotion. With constant pressure to do more and experience everything, people don't seem to have the time to truly love anymore. BIngham lets down his guard for a chance at love and gets burned.
This film speaks true and I highly recommend it.