Review: Up in the Air

I’m not a fan of flying, collecting loyalty points, or being fired. All three topics are the driving force behind Up in the Air — a smart comedy-drama from Canadian writer-director Jason Reitman that is easily one of the best films, if not the best film, of the year.

When a company needs to fire someone they bring in Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). He’s a professional at giving people the pink slip while making them believe there is hope for what comes next. The job keeps him travelling around the country most days of the year and he has the airport and loyalty card system down pat. He knows which car rental company gives the best car and the most points, bypasses lines that average travellers are stuck in, and has a method of packing that saves him from ever having to check a bag or be searched. He has no wife or girlfriend and keeps what family he does have, his sisters Kara (Amy Morton) and Julie (Melanie Lynskey), at a distance. He even gives lectures on how to be free of material items and people so they don’t weigh you down. This is his lifestyle and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

On one of his trips he meets the female version of himself, Alex (Vera Farmiga). She’s on the road as much as he is and has a sick love for loyalty cards too. Ryan is smitten by her beauty, charm and personality. Over drinks they compare their collection of cards, how many miles they’ve flown in the year, and then end up spending the night together. They check their schedules to see when they can connect again, and then part ways.

Back at Ryan’s head office in Omaha; young, fresh whippersnapper Natalie Keener (Twilight’s Anna Kendrick) has a plan to take all the agents off the road and implement an online video system for them to do the firing. Not only will it cut costs for the company but it will let the agents be home with their families more often. To Ryan’s discontent his manager Craig (Jason Bateman) likes the idea and wants to go full tilt with it, grounding all agents immediately. Ryan objects to the idea of firing people, one of the most emotional moments of a person’s life, via video chat. He dismisses Natalie as not knowing their business or having enough experience with people to know the repercussions of this new model. Craig hears his plea and decides Ryan should take Natalie out in the field to show her the ropes.

With so many people losing their jobs and the economy in turmoil, Up in the Air is one of the most relevant films of the last few years. Sure it’s funny and mature, with a lot of memorable comedy bits, but it’s also a very sad image of the state of our society. When Ryan and Natalie enter a half empty office building to clean out of the rest of the employees it’s devastating to watch. Reitman also uses real people who have lost their jobs as some of the people being fired. It’s hard to imagine they are reading from a script and not just telling their own story. It adds a human element that you wouldn’t get from another film of this calibre.

Clooney is charming as ever as Ryan and it feels that some of his dialogue is coming straight from his own motto on life (no kids, no marriage). Farmiga is her usual knockout self and owns her role too. But it’s Kendrick who surprised me the most. The way her character changes over the film, and how subtle the change is, was delightful to watch and I hope she gets an an Oscar nomination for it. Bit players like Zach Galifianakis and J.K. Simmons (as employees being fired), and Danny McBride as Jim, Ryan’s future brother-in-law, were also nice additions.

Reitman has been working on adapting Up in the Air from the Walter Kirn novel for seven years. He originally wanted to do it after his first film, Thank You For Smoking in 2005 but held off and did Juno first (which went on to get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture). Although the film could have been just as good earlier in his career I feel that by waiting he didn’t just get the timing right (with the falling economy) but he was able to make it a perfect movie. From the outstanding opening credit sequence that shows topographical shots of American states set to a funky cover of “This Land Is Your Land” by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, to the excellent portrayal of strong women, Up in the Air will inspire viewers (and filmmakers) for generations to come.

Before writing my review I managed to see Up in the Air twice and can confidently call it my favourite film of the year. I’m doing something I haven’t done before and giving it my highest rating – a solid five out of five (Fantastic Mr. Fox came close to earning this rating but I only saw it once). I guess that does make this, in my opinion, the best film of the year.

***** out of 5 stars

Rated R
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Brothers, Everybody’s Fine, PAA, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Red Cliff, Armored

Top image: George Clooney in Up in the Air. Courtesy Paramount Pictures.