Up In the Air - Flying High  
| You know, sometimes I really hate this time of the year. Critic societies are naming their best movies of the year and naming this person or that person as the best actor or actress and us regular people aren’t privy to half the movies they mention – they usually name a movie that hasn’t been released yet. The real people have to wait for these movies while they continue to collect accolades. While that isn’t a problem for most people (as they probably don’t pay attention to what society is naming what), but for me, I hate to be influenced by their choices. Up in the Air is one of these movies. Long before it was released here; it had already garnered many Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and Screenplay awards from many different places. I must say, now that I’ve finally seen the movie, all of these awards are deserved. Up in the Air is one of the years most profound, relatable and relevant movies. That’s not to say it is necessarily “the best,” but it is one of the best of the year.
For my usual plot description I have to hand it over to the Massie Twins from imdb.com as I couldn’t have explained it any better myself. “Ryan Bingham's job is to fire people from theirs. The anguish, hostility, and despair of his "clients" has left him falsely compassionate, living out of a suitcase, and loving every second of it. When his boss hires arrogant young Natalie, she develops a method of video conferencing that will allow termination without ever leaving the office - essentially threatening the existence Ryan so cherishes. Determined to show the naive girl the error of her logic, Ryan takes her on one of his cross country firing expeditions, but as she starts to realize the disheartening realities of her profession, he begins to see the downfalls to his way of life.”
The story speaks volumes to this year. It’s a great way to end the decade too. We all know how the economy went this year, and that subject is handled with great humility in Up in the Air. It uses it for great comedic effect, but also for heart-wrenching drama. It has been mentioned that the film makers taped real life people that were let go this year. They were to treat the camera as if it were the person that fired them and to say what they felt. During these moments in the film, you could feel the anger, frustration, hopelessness and even the hope (I know those two cancel each other out, but you have to see the film to know what I mean) in these people’s voices and in their faces.
Speaking of anger, frustration and hope, give it up for Anna Kendrick who plays Natalie, the “arrogant” young one. She is so good in this role. She is funny, angry, determined and scared all in one scene. She matches George Clooney scene for scene. George is also great. He has his usual “Clooney” charm that seems to work on everyone. Ryan Bingham is a character for the ages that will surely go down in history as one more memorable then others. Vera Farmiga also gives a stellar performance as a fellow frequent flying that hooks up with George’s Ryan Bingham. They have some great pretty memorable scenes together; made all the more memorable by what happens in the end.
Speaking of the end, many comparisons are being drawn between the ending of No Country for Old Men and Up in the Air in the sense that they both feature a main character talking, then just ending. Yes it is ambiguous, but it leaves you with a sense of wonderment. From the final scenes, one can conclude the movie in their own way. In a sense, Up in the Air is a mainstream indie movie that does plenty to please mainstream audiences, but also has enough of an edge to appeal to more indie type fans. There isn’t a Hollywood ending that some would hope for, but I believe the movie works better for that reason. The whole message of the film hinges on the final moments of the film, so without it happening the way it does, the film as a whole just doesn’t work. Everything that happens in the movie has a purpose. There are no wasted scenes.
Up in the Air features some fantastic aerial shots. They are used to establish the city the characters are in. They are also used in the opening credits and they basically become a character themselves. The music in the film is also great. It all fits so perfectly.
With Up in the Air, Jason Reitman has definitely solidified himself as a true director to watch. Three movies down (Thank You for Smoking, Juno and now Up in the Air), he shows tremendous promise with no signs of slowing down. I for one can’t wait for his next movie.
Up in the Air is flying high now and will likely made a big landing at the Oscars. If you get the chance to see this movie, then please see it. There are so many great elements to it that everyone can enjoy. Sure, it may not end well and has its depressing moments, but that is real life. This is a real life movie with real people in real situations. Be a real person and see this poignant movie.
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