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Up in the Air



Jason Reitman, the creative force behind one of my favorite sleepers, Thank you for Smoking, scored another bullseye with 2009's Up in the Air, a deliciously surprising character study that brings additional layers to a somewhat traditional genre that give the story a veneer of originality that provides a breath of movie fresh air.

This breezy story stars Oscar winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a downsizing expert who spends his life living out of a suitcase. He travels all over the country to various large corporations and terminates employees for employers who apparently don't have the guts to do it for themselves. Bingham's cocoon-like existence is threatened when he learns that his company is planning to start terminating people via video-conferencing, making Ryan feel threatened, but is challenged to show the ropes to the young video-conferencing expert (Anna Kendrick) while beginning a relationship with a woman very much like himself named Alex (Vera Farmiga).

Jason Reitman's direction and his screenplay (co-written with Allan Sherman) are evocative and provide an entertaining story that provides several unexpected plot turns along the way, that though not all pleasant, are steeped in realism and make for a story that the viewer remains interested in.

George Clooney has never been better as Bingham and Vera Farmiga proves to have solid leading lady potential as Alex. Anna Kendrick gives a crisp performance as the young would be executive who becomes wonderfully human when we learn that her tight-ass exterior has been broken due to her being dumped by her boyfriend. The relationship between the three characters has a refreshing quality to it, primarily that there is no bitchiness between the two women...they understand each other's roles in Ryan's life and accept them. Their initial bonding at a party the three crash is a lot of fun and the tension between them comes from more unexpected places.

The film received a Best Picture Oscar nomination, as well as dual nominations for Reitman and for the three leads and did win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. I also enjoyed Jason Bateman as Ryan's boss and Amy Morton as his no-nonsense older sister. Lovely cinematography, striking editing, and a lovely song score also help to make this a truly unique cinematic journey worth embarking upon.