George Clooney at T.I.F.F.
Back in September, I waited at the barricades, shuffled between fans and paparazzi, to see the stars of Up in the Air. I got a glimpse of Jason Bateman, Anna Kendrick and George Clooney on the red carpet. I even wrote about the experience in a blog post. I hadn’t heard anything about the film back in September, I only knew that George Clooney would be at the premiere and that was enough for me.
When commercials starting popping up for the film, I realized that this was the film I had seen the stars of back in September. But it wasn’t George Clooney, Anna Kendrick or the Arrested Development star that brought me to the theatre, it was writer/director Jason Reitman.
In my first year of university, Juno had just came out and was a smash hit, catapulting director Jason Reitman into a new league of fame. It was during this rush that Reitman paid a visit to Ryerson University, speaking to students interested in the film industry. I was there, along with many other students, to listen to the charismatic director. He was funny, engaging and not one bit pretentious. As a fan of Thank You for Smoking, I was thrilled to hear Reitman speak, and his humbleness made his success even sweeter. Reitman told the room packed with students that he had just cast Mean Girls’ Amanda Seyfried in a new Diablo Cody film and over a year later that female vampire comedy was revealed to be Jennifer’s Body. Reitman produced the piece.
Today, Reitman’s Up in the Air is nominated for six Golden Globes. After watching the film, I say it deserves every nomination. I will be honest, however, and say that many people in the audience left the theatre asking, “What was that about?” Reitman films focus on dialogue over action, realistic change over dramatic character development and, rather than a climactic ending, typically end on a more subtle note. Up in the Air is closer to Thank You for Smoking than Juno, so if you are a fan of Smoking, you will surely enjoy Up in the Air.
Up in the Air follows Ryan Bingham (Clooney), a man who fires people across the United States on behalf of employers unwilling to do so themselves. Bingham leads a commitment-free life, even delivering motivational speeches on this lifestyle choice, and begins a casual relationship with a like-minded career woman named Alex (Vera Farmiga). Bingham’s only goal is to earn 10 million frequent flyer miles, which would make him the seventh person to ever do this, and thanks to his career of constant travelling for Integrated Strategic Management, Bingham may just accomplish this feat.
Then Natalie Keener (Kendrick) enters the picture. With a degree from Cornell to her name, the ambitious young woman is set to make her mark on Integrated Strategic Management by firing people via webcam as opposed to sending employees across the country to do the deed. Bingham objects to this idea and challenges Keener to actual fire people herself; thus sets off Integrated Strategic Management owner Craig Gregory (Bateman) to send the pair on a trip across the U.S. firing people together.
Up in the Air has its funny moments, tender moments and hopeful moments. It is not a romance nor a drama, rather an engaging dark comedy about life in general. There isn’t a huge life changing kerfuffle, but-as is the case in real life-change does occur, only in a more subtle way. Reitman’s writing is realistic and fun and will surely appease the appetites of Thank You for Smoking fans.