To say that ‘Up in the Air’ is a movie “or our times” is selling it short.
Ivan Reitman directs his third film and George Clooney stars as a habitual loner in “Up in the Air.” More than anything, this movie is about the breakup of human relationships. I mention the word ‘human’ because that is how deep this movie goes. It speaks not to a time period, ethnicity, or type of personality. It is about our species.
George Clooney (perhaps the perfect choice as in “real life” he has famously never married) plays a man devoid of most human relationships. His job is to fire other humans from their jobs because their employers are too chicken-shit. This takes him around the country for most of the year. He is on track to become the 7th person ever to achieve 10,000,000 frequent flier miles. On the side, he gives lectures about how ones connections in life are weights upon the soul like a backpack one has to carry around. Up until where this movie starts, I would assume he talked to very little people. The few he would speak to (i.e. the ones he fires) he never gets to see again.
But now! There is some restructuring in the very corporation he works for. His boss (played by Jason Bateman) is impressed by a girl fresh out of college (played by Anna Kendrick) who wants to take the technology of today and revolutionize the business. Instead of firing them face to face like old man Clooney, she wants to do it over the Internet. It will save the company 85% of its travel costs.
Clooney is forced to take her on the road and show her the ropes. They both see and learn a lot. So do we. I personally love movies that teach me things. Here, I learn all about the perks of being a frequent flier. Clooney has all the high-flying elite cards those people that get around way too often. We get to see inside all the admiral clubs, we get to cut in front of all the lines, we hear all the Airworld terminology, we get to travel first class.
And while we are at it, we see the faces of people who have just lost their jobs. Ivan Reitman apparently hired real people who lost their jobs in this Great Recession. They get to speak their minds about how they feel. Clooney and Kendrick attempt to give their preconceived condolences. Most of the time it doesn’t work.
If the movie were only about seeing people getting fired, it would be “about our times.” But it isn’t about just that. It also contains some great stuff about the break up of human relations. Some really thought out scenarios, some profound conversations, and some incredible situations. There’s a girl who follows a boy to Nebraska after college. There’s a groom who gets cold feet before his marriage. And Clooney’s character for maybe a very rare time in his life falls for a woman (Vera Farmiga from The Departed). It ends just the way it should. It is very much the title of the movie.
George Clooney plays a role that perhaps only he can play. He should get a Nomination for his work. Also Anna Kendrick will probably get a nomination for her supporting work. It should be said though that the power of her performance comes mainly from the script. Great parts for women are unfortunately scarce and any very well written part is usually a lock for a nomination. This is one of those. Vera also strikes the perfect notes as well. This is one of those movies where you simply can’t think of anything that could have been done better.
Are humans relational or not? Do people, partners, and family weigh us down? Or are we more at home flying up in the air? What does it mean to live life to the fullest? Does it involve keeping in motion or settling down? Questions, questions, questions. I will say at least this much, this movie is not realistic in at least one aspect: The truly alienated and completely free people (like Mr. Clooney in this movie is supposed to represent) never get to espouse their views upon other people. They do not give lectures to audiences about the greatness of being alone; instead they talk to themselves and murmur in their sleep. They speak to imaginary people in screenplays. In other words, nobody ever hears about the wonders of being alone. Nobody is there to listen. To wish to be alone is to wish to be forgotten. The ironic thing about this movie is that Clooney has so many people to talk to about being alone. But hey, you wouldn’t have a movie if that weren’t the case.
I hope not to rant too much about the way our society has crumbled in the last half century. I can only point to statistics (See the book Bowling Alone). In that book it showed that the new baby boomers and subsequent generations were more interested in money and careers as opposed to families and community. This story is perhaps the end result of such priorities. If there is a silver lining to the Great Recession it is that maybe people will realize that corporations are not as worthwhile and welcoming as families and communities. Corporations (and the free market) will throw you out and fire your ass the second it becomes less profitable. Families stick with you through thick and thin. In hard times at least family ties are more valuable than corporate ties.
This movie should also be nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. I have written reviews for all of Ivan Reitman’s movies. He is the only director I can say that about. He has progressed substantially (see my reviews of Thank You for Smoking and Juno) as I hope I have. I look forward to his next one.
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