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Ryan Bingham: If you think about it, your favorite memories, the most important moments in your life... were you alone? Life's better with company.
Ryan Bingham is the one guy as a worker you never want to meet, because it means your life is about to go down the drain. Bingham is the guy that gets hired to tell people they are out of a job. Bingham is good at what he does and likes what he does. He is not interested in settling down and raising a family, he likes being on the road. He meets Alex who seems to be interested in the same things he is, so they hit it off and begin to fall for one another. All the while Ryan must train newcomer Natalie Keener who has a new philosophy that will keep them grounded. She is trying to introduce a new idea about letting people go via video conference.
Ryan Bingham: All the things you probably hate about travelling -the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi- are warm reminders that I'm home
Ryan Bingham likes his disconnection from society. He likes that he isn’t tied down and he likes that his life constantly has him on the go. All that changes for him when he meets Alex. She is the first person that understands his way of life, who does not want him to be someone other than who he really is. Alex and Ryan really begin to connect and they actually begin to like each other, and he even invites her to his younger sisters wedding. Ryan begins to genuinely care for Alex she isn’t just someone he wants to have in his life on a part time basis. The love story that blooms is honest and real. Farmiga and Clooney have such awesome chemistry and that is what makes this film so real. Despite the negativity that surrounds the character of Ryan Bingham the times he shares with Alex have this upbeat feel to them, much more then you get from watching the trailer. The trailer only shows you little glimpses of how Farmiga and Clooney are perfect when on screen together.
Anan Kendrick is so awesome in this film; she sheds the image she built herself when she starred in the Twilight films. This is Anna Kendrick, she is fiery full of passion and energy and she will do awesome things in the future. I would not be surprised to hear her name called within the next 5 years at the academy awards. She brilliantly played her character and keeping up with Farmiga and Clooney is no easy task.
This film was ultimately a commentary on society. How the corporate downsizing has affected America, and I liked Reitman’s touch on having real people in front of the camera and allowing them to express their views on losing their jobs. Reitman is a fantastic filmmaker; he is also a brilliant screenwriter, who makes films that don’t dwell on things that have already happened but things that are still happening things we as a society need to see as prominent issues.
I like that this film was just an everyday film and Bingham’s life does not change or nothing out of the ordinary takes place. He doesn’t get wrapped up in some major conspiracy; he just goes about his everyday life and wonders about the future of his industry. Reitman does bring a surprise ending into the picture, one that plays to the tune of the depressing atmosphere which is created in the firing scenes. Reitman wonderfully moulds a film that’s ending is somewhere out of the ordinary from the beginning. This is probably the best film I have seen that keeps these people’s lives ordinary. These people are all enjoying their lives as they currently are, which is good to see the struggle of these characters as things around them seem to be changing. Especially Ryan as he finally begins to let someone into his life. Alex was the only characters whose everyday life seemed a bit of a blur right up until the end and there is a reason why Reitman keeps it this way. Nathalie and Ryan are the two characters affected most by the events that transpired in this film.
I really felt connected to these characters and that is the best thing about a Jason Reitman film. Clooney just seemed so natural, Farmiga was great and this film made me a fan of Anna Kendrick. Good role for Jason Bateman as well, I will forever like that guy because of Arrested Development. I am excited for future Jason Reitman projects which may have Jason Bateman in them.
9/10
