Movie Review: Up in the Air

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“Do you want the cancer?”, a stewardess asks George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham. A confused Bingham is taken aback until the stewardess is shown offering a can of cola and it is clear that she is saying “Do you want the can sir?”

Plot

This film is defined by the moments such as this which makes the viewer ponder the everyday quirks of our early twenty-first century lifestyle.  Up in the Air is the tale of Ryan Bingham whose job is to travel across America and fire employees for companies who are too meek to do it themselves. This career has enabled Bingham to live a no-strings attached lifestyle to relationships and possessions which he claims only hold us back. His concerns are rental cars, collecting frequent flyer points, and checking into hotels. However, all of this is shattered when a recent college graduate, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrik),  joins Bingham's company and offers a new approach as to how their business is done. By doing all the firings using the internet the company can ground all its employees, like Bingham, and save on a lot of unnecessary expenses.  However, before this plan can come into effect Keener must accompany Bingham on one final trip where he shows her the ropes of the 'biz'.  It is during this trip and with the help of a romantic interest, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), which Bingham finds a reason to reconnect with the relationships he has left behind.

Thoughts

This film comes from the recently hot Jason Reitman whose past work includes Juno (2007) and Thank You for Smoking (2005). His attention to the ticks of contemporary life characterize his films and Up in the Air is no exception. The oddities of modern life, such as getting dumped over a text message, is something which we can all relate to. Through this mechanism Reitman creates characters and scenarios which the audience can easily relate to on a multitude of levels. However, since this film deals with the social environment of 'the now', its themes are by no means timeless. There is a very strong sense of humor as well as emotional depth, yet the scope of the film sometimes limits these sentiments. As a moviegoer, this film provides a satisfying experience where one can take a step back to ponder some of the finer points in our daily lives, but don't expect to find all the answers here. 4 out of 5 stars.

 

 

 

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