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Up in the Air good, but not feel-good

It’s a pretty bold move to make a studio movie about a guy who travels all around the country and fires other company’s employees, like a contract killer that shoots pink slips. What’s bolder is that this guy is the protagonist.

It’s a pretty bold move to make a studio movie about a guy who travels all around the country and fires other company’s employees, like a contract killer that shoots pink slips. What’s bolder is that this guy is the protagonist. We are meant to sympathize with him. And we do.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, an expert in the industry of unemployment. He works for Integrated Strategic Management and lives the ultimate commitment-free life — no home, no belongings (save what’s in his suitcase) and no relationships to tie him down. Not even his family can really crack his nut. If he didn’t have such a successful career he would be a vagabond. He’s so carefree he even gives corporate pep talks about the value of not carrying all of your stuff and your friends and family around with you. He does these speeches with an empty backpack, just about the only baggage he does have, either physical or emotional.

Then along come two women to complicate his existence. First, the much younger Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is an entrepreneurial firebrand who wants to streamline the process. She says the company can do things more efficiently via remote webcam. She may have a point but she isn’t the love interest. There’s always a love interest. That part gets played extremely well by Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), another frequent flyer who hooks up repeatedly with Ryan at various points in the Americas. As the tagline on the poster says, this is the story of a man ready to make a connection. It’s great how some clever wordplay about air travel can resonate with the human condition.

As a director, Jason Reitman is one of the better new guys on the scene over the last five years. He’s only 32 but he’s already put forth Thank You For Smoking and Juno, two smart and fun indie pics that more than proved the promise of his future genius. Here, it seems like he’s taking advantage of the cultural zeitgeist to sway the audience in his favour. Without saying too much, life doesn’t always go Bingham’s way. So for members of the public who have suffered a glitch in their career paths lately, it would be heart-warming to see a guy like this get his comeuppance.

It’s even more obvious how this film panders to the masses with several interludes that feature the recently unemployed (in real life) talking through the fourth wall about their experiences Ă  la When Harry Met Sally. You know when this happens there’s a lot more social commentary occurring and a lot less exposition that’s relevant to the plot. This is poor filmmaking as far as I’m concerned but it will likely go a long way to improving the show’s reception and award potential. That’s just how the system works.

Still it was pretty enjoyable and I did sympathize with Clooney, but in the end I was left with the impression I had just seen a public service announcement about the personal side of the impersonal economy. Who better to put a smiling, charming face on that than Clooney himself?

Up in the Air

Directed by: Jason Reitman<br />Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, Sam Elliott, J.K. Simmons, Danny McBride and Zach Galifianakis<br />Now playing at: North Edmonton Cineplex and Scotiabank Theatre<br />Rated: 14A<br />Stars: 4.0


Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About the Author: Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ecology and Environment Reporter at the Fitzhugh Newspaper since July 2022 under Local Journalism Initiative funding provided by News Media Canada.
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