From Jason Reitman, director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, comes a comedy-drama about frequent flyers.
George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams (Vera Farmiga).
There’s no better time for a movie about redundancy and the a-holes hired to do the firing. George Clooney is perfectly cast as the non-committal, hotel-hopping schmoozer downsizing companies across America. As convincing as Clooney is, Ryan’s world is pretty far-fetched. Here’s a guy who doesn’t like being at home, has no ties to anyone, anything or any place. So it helps if you can suspend disbelief for those who’d rather eat plane food than a home-cooked meal.
But just as Lost in Translation captured the loneliness of travel, Up in the Air brings its ridiculous nuances, from loyalty cards and crappy corporate parties, to life. Essentially the film hangs on the connections that arise out of being transient and how well you can really know someone you only see sporadically.
Nothing about Ryan’s cute relationship with Alex, played by the cool and classy Vera Farmiga, feels like a conventional Hollywood romance. His slowly thawing relationship with icy upstart Natalie, Generation Y in a suit jacket, is just as believable.
It’s a shame that a real-life scene at the end whacks viewers over the head with the moral, since the film’s main messages resonate throughout: no one is indispensible, family is all that really matters, life will teach you lessons when you least expect it. A first-class comedy.
By Rebecca Barry Hill, Flicks.co.nz
Ho hum. George Clooney does the default-George-Clooney-performance with no conviction. Dull.
Karl travels the States firing people, year out, year in. He calls his airlines home. Naturally, he has adopted a loose-life philosophy, never focused on settling. Then, he meets Alex, who shares in that ideal. Then, he is forced to mentor Natalie, a young up-and-comer, who wishes to Skype the professional firing process. Then, he is needed to attend his sister’s wedding, whom he hardly ever sees. Between his family who focus on subdued living, the fragile business-oriented Natalie and the exuberant, eye-bashingly gorgeous Vera Farmiga, the movie effortlessly challenges his seemingly flawless open life morals. Superbly written. Absolutely brilliant.
I liked juno and thank you for smoking so I knew than this would be good and it was it was a good mix of comedy and drama
Arnold, you don't know what your talking about in my opinion jason has not done a bad film yet, thank you for smoking was great sharp satire and juno was funny, and heart warming, and so is this film. You obviously have no concept on what is good, if your so bored go back to watching some loud crap like transformers 2
What's the fuss with this movie - unaffecting and uninteresting. Clooney looks bored stiff.
Up in the Air takes the trust people once had in their jobs and pulls out the rug. It is a film for this time.
Oscar frontrunner? Certainly. But don’t let that drag it into some tough-but-good-for-you category. This is smart, silky, sensitive, and funny old-school movie magic.
It's rare for a movie to be at once so biting and so moving. If Ryan's future seems bleak, there's something exhilarating about a movie made with such clear-eyed intelligence.
Up in the Air makes it look easy. Not just in its casual and apparently effortless excellence, but in its ability to blend entertainment and insight, comedy and poignancy, even drama and reality, things that are difficult by themselves but a whole lot harder in combination. This film does all that and never seems to break a sweat.
An entertaining, smart, and classy piece of film-making.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 14th Jan 2010.
Release date: January 14th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
