UP IN THE AIR 4.0****

Let me start by saying this is one of the best movies of 2009 and will be in the running for several Oscar Nominations including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress (2), Adapted Screen Play and others. Jason Reitman has done it again. The director of "Thank You For Smoking" and "Juno" puts real life out there in an incredible way, where we laugh and cry, and then walk out of the theatre thinking about things that are really important.

“Up in the Air” takes off very smoothly and quickly soars high above the usual mundane Hollywood storylines and it continues to soar high above the clouds of the mediocre until a dramatic but, nonetheless, smooth landing. George Clooney gives the performance of his career. He plays Ryan Bingham, a man who flies all over the country firing people for companies that don't have the spine to do it themselves. He travels for a good 90% out of the year and is never more happy than when he is on a plane…he knows all the rules and ways to sidestep and save time, travels lighter than most ever will and has all of life in perfect order. However, his life is about to be turned upside down when his boss announces that a young, perky up-and-coming 24 year old employee has proposed an idea to fire people over the Internet and with computers. This young upstart is played by Anna Kendrick with fierce tenacity and focused determination especially when she is taken “up in the air” by Ryan to be shown the ropes of how the tricky job of firing people is done.

The movie is unique in how it so easily and fluidly weaves together comedy and sadness. There are scenes in which we chuckle or laugh, but then there are heart-wrenching scenes of people being fired. ( This is particular poignant since every person you see being fired in the film is not an actor but a real life recently laid off person. The filmmakers put out ads in St. Louis and Detroit posing as a documentary crew looking to document the effect of the recession. When people showed up, they were instructed to treat the camera like the person who fired them and either respond as they did or use the opportunity to say what they wished they had said.)

To counter these sad scenes we get the more personal story of Ryan's life, which basically consists of his suitcase, its belongings and traveling until he comes across a beautiful woman who shares his interests and his lifestyle. The seductive and smooth Alex is played with incredible charm and class by the lovely Vera Farmiga. Together, they laugh, hang out, have casual sex, and basically try to hang onto one another amidst the turmoil all around them. Ryan's relationship with his young protégé, Natalie, is also intriguing because he at first despises her and her proposal since it would drastically change his lifestyle, but soon he warms up to her and sees beneath her rough exterior a young lady, smart and compassionate, who is still very much afraid that her life is over before it began.

I can’t praise this wonderfully directed, brilliantly acted movie enough. Even the small things are great…the lovely, amazing intermittent aerial views of parts of the USA and different US cities, and the well selected unobtrusive soundtrack. It is a witty satire of real life, both the roses and the thorns, but most of all it is a very, very rewarding movie experience .

Clark