Up in the Air by Jason Reitman (2009)
14 December 2009Easily one of the best films of the year, this one is hard to describe. I guess it is a drama, though it has elements of both comedy and romantic comedy, but it certainly is not either of those. Jason Reitman has really knocked it out of the park here with amazing performances all the way around, and a really good screenplay adapted from the novel by Walter Kirn (now I really need to read the book) We really get into the world he has created, of a lonely man, who likes his solitary life, until he realizes that he wants more, and is not going to be able to get it if he keeps living the way he does, apart from people, and even his family. A really powerful and moving film. This is really one of the must see films of the year.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a man without a home. He has an apartment in Omaha, Nebraska, where his company is based, but it is not his home. His home is in the air and in the hotels around the country where he does his work, and he is constantly on the move. In fact he dreams of being the 16th person to ever get 10 million air miles on American Airlines, and getting the super special platinum card, actually made out of. Ryan’s job is travel around the country and fire people, and he is the absolute best at what he does. He also gives motivational speeches on having the simplest life with the least connections to other people, literally being able to live out of a backpack, much as he lives out of his carry on suitcase. Ryan ends up meeting another frequent flying named Alex (Vera Farmiga) who is impressed by his frequent flyer status, and they start a casual relationship, but then Ryan is called back to the main office, because something is afoot that may permanently change his life.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Up get’s called back to Omaha by his boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) for an important meeting. They have a new young executive at the company named Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) straight out of Cornell, who a new idea for an efficient layoff system that will make Ryan, and skill set obsolete. Natalie wants to start doing layoffs via teleconference, where the person is handed a packet, and then the whole layoff is done via computer from trained people back in Omaha. It will save tons of money.
Ryan hates the idea and wants to prove how wrong it is, saying people will just walk away, and that she doesn’t how to fire people and do it well, so Craig teams her up with him, and he has to show her the ropes on firings that he sets out to do.
Over the course of the film Ryan stars to like Natalie, and she starts to see just how hard it is to fire people, and do it without causing pain, especially when they see one woman say she will commit suicide.
Ryan also starts to really fall for Alex, and wants the relationship to be something more. Ending up getting her to go with him to his sisters wedding. At the wedding he offers to walk his sister Julie (Melanie Lynskey) down the isle, but she passes, as he has never really been there for her or his other sister Kara (Amy Morton). He does save the wedding though when Julie’s fiancee Kim Miller (Danny R. McBride) gets cold feet. He actually manages to give a motivational speech about how important people are, and starts to even convince himself.
Natalie’s boyfriend ends up leaving her, and she had turned down big jobs and moved to Omaha for him, as she wanted the relationship and she is crushed.
Ryan meanwhile has rushed to see Alex at home as he realizes he loves her, but her kid opens the door, and he finds she is married, and he is literally only a fling, that means nothing to to her. On the way back Alex hits 10,000,000 miles, and is given his special card by Maynard Finch (Sam Elliot) the chief pilot, but the moment he waited so long for, no longer has the meaning it once did, he no longer knows if he wants this detached life.
Ryan return to Omaha and is horrified to see employees being trained to tele-fire people, but it all comes crashing down, when the woman who threatened suicide kills herself, and Natalie quits, and Craig wants Ryan back, doing what he always did best, even though it is no longer the life he really wants.
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Wow, such a good film. I really do enjoy it. A powerful story about the importance of relationships in ones life. And that one can take it too far and move for someone that is not important, but it is better, than believing you don’t need anyone at all.
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