UP IN THE AIR movie review

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Up in the Air (2009)–****

When I walked out of Up in the Air, I had a feeling I don’t often get after seeing a Hollywood motion picture. As a matter of fact, I can honestly say I’ve never really had it. The closest thing I can remember to it is when I watched American Beauty on DVD in late-2000, almost a year after I had seen the film in theaters.

I’m relatively young, so American Beauty‘s release was early in my self-education in film. On the occasion of that home video viewing, which followed a solid year of cinema consumption, I felt I had seen something. And with Up in the Air, I felt it too. It’s the feeling that I had just witnessed an American classic.

Up in the Air is a rarity, a picture of depth and substance with charm and humor. It has indie spirit and Hollywood swagger. For cinephiles, it’s a film to be celebrated. For all audiences, Up in the Air is a motion picture worth more than the price of admission.

The film stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a hired gun who travels to companies that are looking to downsize. Bingham shows up and does their dirty work for them while easing the newly unemployed into their new, unwelcome lifestyle. Bingham spends most of his life in airports and hotels, isolated from the baggage that comes with personal relationships. He’s so dedicated to his lifestyle that he does motivational speaking on the side, urging people to set fire to their “backpacks” full of burdens.

Just when Bingham thinks he has it all figured out, two women come into his life and throw wrenches in the gears. The first is Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow frequent flyer with an equally callous view of personal relationships. Alex is turned on by Bingham’s graphite American Airlines concierge card. Bingham is attracted to Alex’s no-strings-attached style. It’s a match made at 40,000 feet.

The other woman is Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a twenty-something new hire at Bingham’s firm. Natalie sets out to revolutionize the termination business through ending face-to-face firings and replacing them with web conferences. When Bingham objects, his boss (Jason Bateman) tells him he has to take Natalie on the road to show her the ropes. As they travel together, Natalie finds out that what she thought about herself and what she wanted isn’t as clear cut as it seems, while Bingham opens himself up to taking on some excess baggage in the way of Alex.

Watching Up in the Air, you get the feeling that co-writer and director Jason Reitman knows Americans better than we know ourselves. Fortunately for audiences, Reitman isn’t condescending and approaches the subject matter of white collar unemployment and technological detachment with an empathy and humor. Quite simply, he has class. That’s probably why Clooney, the classiest movie star in showbiz, feels so perfect for the lead role.

As Bingham, Clooney has a chance to combine his superstar charm and acting prowess like no other role he’s ever taken. Even his most serious performances in Syriana and Michael Clayton were more about what he could do as an actor than embracing his debonair persona. Here Clooney’s best moments aren’t just his most subtle ones, like Bingham’s discomfort in the presence of family. No, he’s just as good when he’s the suave Clooney we’ve grown to love.

Farmiga and Kendrick are equally good in the film too, both bobbing back and fourth between serious acting and personality driven performances. Watching this trio work is like watching Shirley Maclaine, Jack Lemmon, and Fred MacMurray in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment. They’re that good.

Of course, what makes Up in the Air so special may be its ending. So like the film, I’ll end this review on a bittersweet, but hopeful note. Up in the Air may be a rarity in Hollywood, but with any luck we won’t have to say that for very long. I can only hope that this film’s success (and it will be successful) will lead to more movies like it. Smarter movies. More sophisticated movies. Movies that won’t make going to a film without a specialty division label on it seem like you’re lowering your standards. Even if that doesn’t happen, we’ll still be able to look forward to the next Jason Reitman film.

Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, directed by Jason Reitman, is now playing in select cities. The film opens wide on Dec. 25.