Film: Up in the Air
Cast includes: George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen), Vera Farmiga (The Manchurian Candidate), Anna Kendrick (Elsewhere)
Director: Jason Reitman (Juno)
Genre: Drama/comedy... sort of
In brief: “I don’t know how you live with yourself, but I’m sure you’ll find a way!” Ryan Bingham hears lots of angry statements like this. He fires people for a living. Actually firing people is more of a sideline to Ryan’s primary occupation… earning airline miles. “To know me is to fly with me. This is my world.” As the story unfolds, we see Ryan in action, navigating the all-to-familiar obstacles most of us hate about flying. Ryan traveled 322 days last year, with just 43 miserable days at home.
In an airport bar, Ryan meets Alex, the woman of his dreams. Alex has almost as many elite-status cards as he does. What a turn-on! After a night of wildly ravenous sex, Ryan and Alex are ready to make a real commitment. “We gotta do this again.” Out come the computers so they can compare travel schedules. But Ryan’s been called back to the home office in… of all places… Omaha. There’s a big meeting at the home office. And what’s so important? Well there’s a new employee, Natalie. She’s one of those disgusting eager beavers who goes out of her way to impress the boss with new ideas. And the boss is impressed. He’s ready to sign on to Natalie’s brilliant idea… instead of having agents travel all over the country, they can stay in the home office… and fire people over the internet.
It’s not easy to classify this film. While it has many clever laugh lines, it has many parts that are decidedly not funny. All the scenes of employees getting fired are heart wrenching… especially with so many among us being able to relate. And as the film goes along, we see that Ryan isn’t immune to the pain he inflicts along the way. While Up in the Air has many good parts, ultimately the whole isn’t quite as good as the sum of its parts. It’s not a deep drama about profound issues, yet it touches on some. It’s certainly more of a comedy than anything else, but it won’t leave you laughing.
3 popped kernels
Interesting, off-beat story... a good script and excellent acting
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Young adults
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Mainstream wide release
Mood: Both upbeat and somber
Tempo: Cruses comfortably
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: Irreverent
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
