Escape to reality with Up in the Air
Neelima Kartha
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Film
4 Flames
In this economic climate, people look to the entertainment industry to abate their anxiety. Director Jason Reitman throws the economic climate back into fearful faces through his film, Up in the Air, gently and cleverly.
In the release of major "blockbuster" movies such as Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, Up in the Air did not receive much media coverage or box office sales. However, this movie gave a sense of reality that blockbusters cannot. Reitman's film captures the importance to face and appreciate the emotional connections we make in this state of depression rather than allowing us to escape all connection to the world. Up in the Air refuses to get melodramatic and overly sentimental, however, through relatively icy characters.
Up in the Air follows the life of termination facilitator Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney. As a termination facilitator, Bingham is the messenger. He is sent to different companies to fire people, or the more appropriate term, "let them go." Bingham has no emotional issues letting people go because he has no emotional ties to these people. What he does have is numerous witty answers and responses to the angry somber reactions of those just let go. The film exudes a sense of authenticity and honesty as Reitman uses the faces and responses of people who have actually been let go this past year.
Bingham enjoys his single serving lifestyle that his job allows him. He has no office and no real home. His apartment is void of anything that looks remotely comfortable or affectionate. This nowhere man glides through hotels, airports, planes, and rental cars with no family or friends waiting for him back at his empty apartment - until his company grounds him.
Clooney's remarkable performance makes it appear that Bingham's character was written specifically with him in mind. Clooney's usually cool and casual demeanor works with Bingham's icy mentality. However, Clooney manages to show the nuances of Bingham's character, revealing a certain amount of vulnerability as well, which pulls the film forward. Chemistry between Clooney and costars Vera Farmiga, playing Alex Goran, and Anna Kendrick, playing Natalie Keener, further pulls the film forward.
The chemistry between the stars arises from the characters that work as counterparts of one another. Keener is the younger counterpart of Bingham. She, unlike Bingham, is driven to complete a list of goals that she has thought through in excruciating detail with youthful expectation. Goran is the same person as Bingham, she tells him, "except with a vagina." At one point, Bingham, Goran, and Keener appear like a family- Bingham and Goran seem like mother and father guiding young Keener. However, these ties quickly melt away as the reality of travel and corporate work ensues.
Up in the Air has already won several awards including the Toronto Film Critics Association Award and National Board of Review Award in the U.S. Up in the Air continues to be nominated for several Golden Globes and SAG awards. This clever film meets and exceeds expectations of Reitman, director of hits Juno and Thank You for Smoking, making it a must watch of the year.
In this economic climate, people look to the entertainment industry to abate their anxiety. Director Jason Reitman throws the economic climate back into fearful faces through his film, Up in the Air, gently and cleverly.
In the release of major "blockbuster" movies such as Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, Up in the Air did not receive much media coverage or box office sales. However, this movie gave a sense of reality that blockbusters cannot. Reitman's film captures the importance to face and appreciate the emotional connections we make in this state of depression rather than allowing us to escape all connection to the world. Up in the Air refuses to get melodramatic and overly sentimental, however, through relatively icy characters.
Up in the Air follows the life of termination facilitator Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney. As a termination facilitator, Bingham is the messenger. He is sent to different companies to fire people, or the more appropriate term, "let them go." Bingham has no emotional issues letting people go because he has no emotional ties to these people. What he does have is numerous witty answers and responses to the angry somber reactions of those just let go. The film exudes a sense of authenticity and honesty as Reitman uses the faces and responses of people who have actually been let go this past year.
Bingham enjoys his single serving lifestyle that his job allows him. He has no office and no real home. His apartment is void of anything that looks remotely comfortable or affectionate. This nowhere man glides through hotels, airports, planes, and rental cars with no family or friends waiting for him back at his empty apartment - until his company grounds him.
Clooney's remarkable performance makes it appear that Bingham's character was written specifically with him in mind. Clooney's usually cool and casual demeanor works with Bingham's icy mentality. However, Clooney manages to show the nuances of Bingham's character, revealing a certain amount of vulnerability as well, which pulls the film forward. Chemistry between Clooney and costars Vera Farmiga, playing Alex Goran, and Anna Kendrick, playing Natalie Keener, further pulls the film forward.
The chemistry between the stars arises from the characters that work as counterparts of one another. Keener is the younger counterpart of Bingham. She, unlike Bingham, is driven to complete a list of goals that she has thought through in excruciating detail with youthful expectation. Goran is the same person as Bingham, she tells him, "except with a vagina." At one point, Bingham, Goran, and Keener appear like a family- Bingham and Goran seem like mother and father guiding young Keener. However, these ties quickly melt away as the reality of travel and corporate work ensues.
Up in the Air has already won several awards including the Toronto Film Critics Association Award and National Board of Review Award in the U.S. Up in the Air continues to be nominated for several Golden Globes and SAG awards. This clever film meets and exceeds expectations of Reitman, director of hits Juno and Thank You for Smoking, making it a must watch of the year.
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