A First-Class Film

Up in the Air

**** out of ****

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride

Running time: 109 minutes

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the zeitgeist-defining film of the year.

Adapted from Walter Kirn’s 2001 novel, Up in the Air is the 3rd major release from hot Canadian writer/director Jason Reitman (no longer just Ivan’s son). It’s a smooth-sailing satire for these turbulent times, and it’s bound to get people talking.

We follow Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a no-nonsense corporate executioner and debonair motivational speaker. Traveling across the United States firing employees for numerous companies (whose bosses don’t have the guts to do so), Bingham relishes a worry-free lifestyle spent mostly in airport terminals and cushy first-class armchairs.

One evening, Bingham meets a sexy businesswoman – who also has a rigorous frequent-flying schedule – named Alex (Vera Farmiga). The two have a tryst, and decide to start a casual relationship, agreeing to meet whenever their flights land in the same destination.

Days later, Bingham returns to his corporate headquarters in Omaha, headed by the no-nonsense Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman). Gregory has hired Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a peppy and ambitious Cornell graduate. SHe has developed an efficient online system that lays off people by interacting with them through a computer screen.

Gregory tells Bingham to teach the young entrepreneur the best ways to lay off employees as a means of helping her new innovation. Keener soon becomes the worst “single-serving” friend Bingham’s ever met.

It would be hard to root for a cold, rough-edged, smart-alecky downsizer who puts his aspirations for collecting flyer miles ahead of his family. That is, if he were not played by George Clooney.

The Oscar-winner brings Bingham a polished charm. But, this character has layers that are slowly uncovered throughout the film. We sympathize with him further as he falls for Alex and bonds with Natalie. The everyday quality that Clooney embodied as Michael Clayton is worked to even greater perfection here.

Farmiga is golden as well. Her sharp, sensuous chemistry with Clooney is spectacular. Also, Kendrick, a relative unknown (unless you sat through the Twilight films), injects a keen excitement and determination into her role as Natalie. She’s an actress to watch for.

Reitman and Sheldon Turner have written a tightly-wound script with elements of wit and charming light comedy, alongside devastating (and often discomforting) “termination” scenes.

The dialogue is sharp and snappy, with the same offbeat combination of cynicism and heart that made Reitman’s feature-length debut, Thank You for Smoking, such a joy.

Up in the Air may be the perfect movie to close the decade with, as it grasps elements of the overwhelming reliance on technology, as well as the economic uncertainties, that have defined the last 10 years.

While shooting the film, Reitman placed ads in local newspapers requesting for people who were recently sacked who wanted to be in a documentary about job loss. Of the several responses, 22 had footage shot and were inserted into the film as the “terminated employees” who are fired by Bingham.

The film opens and closes with these subjects speaking frankly about what happened to them. It’s a compassionate touch that works exceptionally.

Up in the Air also depicts the widening generational gap. A scene where Alex and Natalie both describe (quite differently, given their varying ages) what they specifically look for in a man is a highlight.

The film also demonstrates the overwhelming emergence of technology in the marketplace.

Bingham doesn’t mind that these advancements eliminate jobs, but how does he respond to a concept that uses online access to eradicate his services? Keener wants to fire employees through a computer screen, but how does she feel when her boyfriend breaks up with her through a text message?

Our downsizing protagonist is also a victim of a consumer culture. Most people have their family, friends and co-workers, but Bingham has his American Airlines, Hilton Suites and Hertz Rentals instead.

Up in the Air is hilarious, poignant, and undeniably authentic in its portrayal of Western civilization at the current moment. It’s a satire of the grandest kind. I hope you enjoy the flight.