Based on the novel by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air is the story of bachelor Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a so-called ‘transition specialist’ or ‘termination engineer,’ who makes a living informing other people that they have lost theirs.
Based on the novel by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air is the story of bachelor Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a so-called ‘transition specialist’ or ‘termination engineer,’ who makes a living informing other people that they have lost theirs.
Bingham, who works for a company which specializes in doing what other companies don’t want to do, namely firing their employees, lives a streamlined life on the road, or more accurately, in the air.
A master in the art of living out of a suitcase, Bingham has his work down to a science, from knowing the fastest way through airport security to which car rental company has the closest kiosk to the arrivals gate.Away from home most of the year, Bingham, whose mottos is ‘Moving is living,’ relishes his rootless existence without ties to a wife, kids, or even friends.
However, when a young newcomer, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), proposes that Bingham’s company could cut travel expenses by making people redundant via a video conferencing system, Bingham is essentially grounded.His life of blissful singledom is further threatened when trouble with his siblings forces him to return to his hometown where he meets fellow hardened business-class traveller Alex Gorman (Vera Farmiga), a woman he just can’t seem to get out of his mind.The premise of Up in the Air is intriguing: what is life like for a person who makes a career out of ending other people’s careers?
The opening scenes are filled with images of sleek airport lounges, snazzily dressed business people, and just the right balance of dialogue and action to get the storyline rolling, effectively building our expectations.
Once the background is established, however, the film quickly becomes mired in stilted conversation and storylines that seem to trail off or present confusing messages.
For instance, Bingham takes the clever, but perhaps slightly naive, Natalie on the road with him in order to show her the ropes of the trade.Natalie, who has taken the job in order to be closer to her boyfriend, questions Bingham about how happy he is with his choice to remain single and unattached.
Bingham answers with perfect ease that he is entirely happy with the way his life is, though several scenes serve to suggest that Bingham is actually a sad and lonely figure.Bingham texts Alex from an empty hotel room, drinks alone in an apartment more sterile-looking than the places he stays on travel, and enjoys his proudest achievement, making the 10 million frequent flier point mark, by himself on a plane.
Yet, when Natalie, with her ‘love is all you need’ mantra, is unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend and decides to focus on her career, the film suggests that Bingham is not in need of enlightenment after all and that he is right in assuming that human relationships are just extra baggage that need to be tossed.
The film is good at what it does, which is to present a modern alternative to the happily-ever-after romcom formula and provide a glimpse of the realities of twenty-first century living.Unfortunately, static characterization makes for bland story-telling.
Perhaps Up in the Air’s strength lies not in its big name stars but its minor characters, the ones being fired.Their heart-rending accounts of how these layoffs affect them not only financially but also personally and emotionally ring true in this time of economic uncertainty. Their stories ask us to consider what is really important in life when material possessions are taken away.
Up in the Air will likely be remembered by future film enthusiasts as being iconic of a generation trying to come to grips with often frightening new moralities in the wake of a devastating global recession.But for film-goers of the present, Up in the Air should only be added to their ‘must see’ lists after they’ve seen the bigger blockbusters of the season.
Two out of Five Stars
Director: Jason Reitman
Comments (1)
1. 17-02-2010 02:33
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article.
