Embodying a ‘Thank you for smoking’ vibe, Up in the Air follows a fast paced story line which follows how Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, an aloof, top corporate executive whose millions of frequent-flyer miles just cannot keep him above the emotional turbulence he tries to avoid. Bingham spends most of his life traveling around the world firing people for corporate executives who cannot bring themselves to do the dirty work.
Called a ‘slickly engaging piece of lightweight existentialism’, the movie is Jason Reitman’s third film which cleverly taps into certain cultural aspects of a present-day zeitgeist, which is portrayed in a slightly comical manner.
Clooney’s excellent comic timing and the wonderful interplay between Clooney and Natalie played by Anna Kendrick put together a delicious comedy you must watch. The story adapted from Walter Kirns novel with Sheldon Turner has wonderful overhead shots of a few American cities, giving the movie excellent production value, as are the transitions as characters move around the country.
The Rotten Tomatoes consensus on the movie was “Led by charismatic performances by its three leads, director Jason Reitman delivers a smart blend of humour and emotion with just enough edge for mainstream audiences.” The reality portrayed in the movie rings true to what everyone goes through at an airport with the racial stereotypes much around, even though we would like to think that society has progressed for the better. Another review on Up in the Air stated, “Any film that tells his [Bingham’s] story would have to be light on its feet, but the deftness and surety of Jason Reitman’s latest work defy the law of gravity. Look, up in the sky: a terrific, nimble movie.”