UP IN THE AIR
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Screenplay: Sheldon Turner, Jason Reitman, based on the book by Walter Kirn
Director: Jason Reitman
"Some animals were meant to carry each other, to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star-crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We're sharks"
Jason Reitman's one of those directors who seems to making films that get attention for other people involved. Thank You For Smoking, arguably still his best work, is the film that got Aaron Eckhart the attention he deserved after about 10 years of excellent performances. Juno, of course, became the launch pad for Ellen Page and Diablo Cody. Not too many people noticed the warmth of the Juno's colour palette, or gave Reitman a lot of credit for getting such wonderful turns from his cast, or indeed, getting the cast in the first place. In fact, look at the Thank You For Smoking cast: Eckhart, Sam Elliott, Robert Duvall, Maria Bello, etc. Impressive cast for a first-time director, even his dad did make Ghostbusters.
Up in the Air is another movie which places his cast front and centre. It's getting George Clooney a lot of attention, and deservedly so. The film has one of his best performances, a nuanced, careful spin on the classic "Clooney" persona which gradually crumbles as the film makes it's way towards its end. While the lead may not seem a million miles away from TYFS's Nick Naylor, Clooney gives the character a fragility that Eckhart's Yuppie Mephistopheles didn't have. It also has excellent work from relative newcomer Anna Kendrick, the radiant Vera Farmiga, a studiedly unlikeable Jason Bateman, and nice little turns from character actors JK Simmons, Melanie Lynskey, Sam Elliot, Danny McBride, and, surprisingly enough, Zach Galifianakis. But it also shows that Reitman is continuing to grow as a director. While tonally there is little different here from his previous work, there's an emotional depth that balances the glib humour.Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who works for an Omaha firm that fires companies' employees for them. Bingham's job means that he flies all over the country and has no home life or real friends to speak of. His life is made up of collecting air miles and credit cards, and makes extra money giving talks on his "take only what you can carry" mantra. He's a non-presence in his family's life, and has to be trapped into talking to his sister on the phone. The only other person in his life is Alex (Farmiga), another person who spends their time traveling, who tells Ryan to "think of me as you, but with a vagina". Things change when his boss Craig (Bateman) hires Natalie Keener (Kendrick), a smart young woman with a plan to do all firing over the internet, meaning that Ryan would never leave Omaha again. When he tries to convince Craig that Natalie is wrong, Craig tells him to take Natalie with on his next few jobs to show her the ropes. Natalie sees that firing people isn't as easy as just reciting a few stock phrases.
I haven't heard any negative reaction to Up in the Air, and I don't really see anything wrong with it. It's very well acted, as previously mentioned. It's fantastic to see Vera Farmiga in a role that doesn't require her to be a drug addict or be chased around by a murderous child. She's very funny here and sparks off Clooney and Kendrick wonderfully. Kendrick is also one to watch. The dialogue is just as sharp as you would expect, finding humour in the more emotional moments and allowing the actors to find a little depth during the more humourous scenes. While Reitman invested Juno with a warm colour palette, full of oranges and reds, Up in the Air is a much colder film. Blues and greys are the order of the day. Sticking with the same production team as his previous two films, the director manages to make Up in the Air a Jason Reitman film while establishing it's own identity. Not an easy task.The theme is, of course, very current with massive lay-offs happening all over the world. It comes as a surprise to learn that Reitman considered making this before Thank You For Smoking. The lay-off scenes are handled very well, as the film uses real people who had lost their jobs for quick soundbites (a technique that is frankly over-used by the end), and character actors for longer scenes, such as Galifianakis and Simmons. Simmons especially reminds us of his range, as his rage subsides thanks to Ryan's expert handling. The scenes also serve to remind us of the film's main theme, showcase Clooney and Kendrick, and give the film it's main dramatic weight. When one fired woman tells Natalie calmly, and in detail, that she's going to kill herself, it doesn't feel forced or like it was done simply for dramatic effect.
Things do threaten to go off the rails in the last third, when Ryan realises that perhaps his life philosophy is keeping him at arms length from what life actually has to offer. Up to this point he's been wonderfully set in his ways, and the sudden shift does feel slightly forced. He decides to ask Alex to his sister's wedding. Once there, he finds himself having to give Jim, the groom-to-be, (Danny McBride) a pep talk on why he should get married. At this point, the film is at a tricky crossroads. It does make the right turn, thankfully, and we are spared anything to treacly. This is largely, again, thanks to the performances. Clooney walks the tightrope of a man struggling to cling to his narcissism with a lot of skill, and the casting of Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride as a couple is fantastic. Nobody does terrified happiness bordering on hysterical tears better than Lynskey, while McBride does well-meaning blue-collar very well.I would recommend Up in the Air to everyone. It's clever, funny, well-acted, well-shot. While it does threaten to move towards sentimentalism, the message of the film is an effective one: keeping people at arm's length leads to isolation and loneliness. Oscar hype is much deserved. It may not be as flashy as some of the other films competing, but for anyone looking for an excellent drama, look no further.
9/10
