Up in the Air Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)December 31st, 2009
Thumbs Up "In the Air"
by Homer Yen
(c) 2009
Ahhh...the little things. It's like the hand-written card that a friend sends you over the holiday season instead of some mass email with those annoying musical attachments. It's like the nicely wrapped piece of mint-chocolate you find in your hotel bed when the maid service turns down your bed at night. It's the plate of fruit that your spouse gives to you when you are working on the computer doing a last-minute project long after the wee ones have gone to bed.
This same sense of fuzzy warmness is how you might feel after watching "Up in the Air", which is one of the nicest character-driven films to come along in a while. No explosions or wild CGI effects here. In fact, it's not even a film about noble-hearted people. But it's certainly a break from all of that wild action showing next door. Yet it's equally memorable thanks to some edgy performances contained within a setting that feels up-to-the-minute.
They say that timing is everything. And, when writer Jason Reitman first penned this story back in 2002, about a corporate-downsizer who travels the country to dole out the excruciating news that a position has been eliminated, the economy was booming. Like good cheddar cheese that hadn't quite aged enough, releasing the film today makes it feel more topical. I especially liked how the film used real people who were recently fired to just open up and vent their disbelief and frustrations.
The story focuses on Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) who lives his life out of a suitcase. He loves everything about the airports that casual flyers hate. He doesn't have anything/anyone at home waiting for him. He even does seminars on getting rid of the metaphorical excess luggage that people pack with them and carry around. Mind you, he's a great conversationalist. He knows that there is a humane way to fire people. But for so long he's been flying here and there that we wonder if he'll ever become more grounded.
The screenplay thankfully doesn't pander to some kind of schmaltzy catharsis. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. However, two strong-willed women in his life do help to provide him with a little direction. One is the fresh-out-of-college-ready-to-conquer-the-world Natalie (Anna Kendrick). Her irony is that she believes in developing strong relationships but can't face people when things begin to go south. It certainly makes sense that she tries to develop a program where people get fired over Skype-like videoconferencing. She thrusts forward and hopes for the best without wanting to really look back. The other woman is Alex (Vera Farmiga) who becomes his love interest. Well, I don't think Ryan knows what love is. But they both enjoy their first-class trysts without any of the strings attached. If Ryan were looking to fly the friendly skies with someone, Alex would certainly be a dandy co-pilot.
"Up in the Air" is a very observant film. It goes beyond the stand-up comic material peppered throughout the film. There is an especially funny bit about which line will most likely move the fastest through the area with the random screenings and the metal detectors. As an Asian myself, I have my routine boiled down to a few cha-cha steps to take off my shoes; a few hip thrusts to remove my belt; and a few flips of the wrist to get the tray in order. But it also shows the human side to this weird downsizing business. And it also has its tender moments as Ryan tries to figure out why his backpack is always so empty. Hey...I just got a hand-written holiday card from my best friend. Nice.
Grade: B+
S: 2 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 0 out of 3
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