Up in the Air

Jason Reitman's follow up to his wildly successful Juno assembles an excellent cast and throws them into a story involving airports and the economic decline. However uninteresting and despondent these two topics are, a gem of a story emerges.

Up in the Air has an amazing cast with George Clooney, newcomer Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmina, Jason Bateman, JK Simmons, Zach Galifaniakis, Danny McBride, and a short Sam Elliot cameo.

The film is a serious look at family, love, life on the road, and a difficult job that requires equal parts objectivity and sympathy. There is just the right amount of levity and humor interspersed to make it a very respectable and clever movie. The writing is top notch, and all of the actors bring their A game, regardless of the size of their roles.

Clooney excels as Ryan, an antiquated road warrior who is hired out to lay off workers around the nation when the companies are too scared or nervous about liability to do so. Kendrick plays the young, sharp, aspiring corporate woman with ideas that will increase productivity and efficiency within the company, but that will eliminate the nuance of the human touch. Jason Bateman, as Clooney's boss decides that he should show her the ropes on the road.

Farminga plays the female equivalent of Clooney, and the two meet on the road for trysts that inevitably turn into more. She does a nice job of being likable as well as emotionally distant, and has a very natural and admirable banter with Clooney.

The subtle subplots are the most compelling piece of this film however. Clooney's hotel convention speaking engagements where he creates the metaphor of everything in your life being carried in a backpack, and ultimately that they weigh you down, and you should lighten your load. It's poignant, and quite appropriate considering his lifestyle, but you can sense that behind the confident exterior of a man with the bravado of a lone wolf, there is a loveless and regretful life of a man approaching his 50's.

The second subplot, which I found to be pivotal to the larger plots of the film is Clooney's ultimate goal, which has to do with frequent flyer miles. When he finally reaches his goal, there is a fleeting moment of excitement, followed by a prolonged sadness as the reality of his accomplishment sinks in. The film then concludes in a predictable manner, but one which really sticks, and drives the point of the entire story home very gently,

This is a tremendously smart film, even more-so than Juno was. I foresee Oscar nominations for film and director, as well as Clooney for Best Actor and Kendrick for Supporting Actress. To this point, this is the best film I have seen this year with Hurt Locker and Inglorious Basterds taking a relatively close second and third.

Depending on Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine, I think Clooney will take the big prize in March. 9/10.