Up in the Air

The consensus that UP IN THE AIR is, among other things, a particularly timely film becomes clear during its first few minutes, which depict reactions from several people who have just been fired from their jobs. It takes a while before we find out who it is that's doing the firing, but we soon discover that it's none other than George Clooney, who's sort of developed a reputation as the "cool, nice guy" of Hollywood over the last few years. That's far from what we can say of his Ryan Bingham, though. It's not just that this guy is the one in charge of firing people whose employers are too cowardly to give the news themselves. Ryan actually relishes the fact that, thanks to this job, he gets to travel constantly, never having to spend that much time in his hometown with his family, all the while working towards his goal of having traveled 10 million miles with American Airlines. But the reason why he wants to get all those miles isn't because he hopes to travel somewhere fun and exotic for free. He just likes the fact that so few people have accomplished that goal, and he looks forward to being part of that elite group. A wrench is thrown into Ryan's plans when his employer hires recent Cornell grad Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who proposes a new system that will allow them to fire people over a webcam chat. This means they won't have to travel to fire people anymore, which is great for the company in terms of reducing costs, but not so great in terms of preserving what is brilliantly described as Ryan's "cocoon of self-banishment."

More than being timely in terms of depicting the horrible effects that the economy has had in terms of the loss of jobs, UP IN THE AIR is a frequently brilliant character study. Nothing is as it may initially seem. As much as Ryan seems to be surrounded by people all the time, the truth is that what he does renders him incapable of ever making connections with people, as Natalie points out. When we first meet her, Natalie comes across as cold-hearted and over-educated, but we soon discover how incredibly sensitive she is, as she observes the way that Ryan carries himself. The only person that Ryan seems to have a shot at connecting with is Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow frequent traveler, who tells him to "just think of me as yourself with a vagina," and she's definitely not kidding. However, as we eventually discover, things aren't exactly what they seem with Alex either.

The strength of UP IN THE AIR comes from the fact that it succeeds both in terms of having great one-liners (including a magnificent play on words when a stewardess asks Ryan if he wants to keep a can), and also in terms of having solid scenes that feature long conversations. The best scene in UP IN THE AIR takes place when the film's three main characters are all together in the same place for the first time. Ryan just listens intently, while Natalie vents her apprehensions about the future while Alex gives her an "older" woman's perspective. The exchange that the two women have in which they list their "requirements" for what they look for in a guy is wonderful and expertly delivered. They both concur that "a nice smile" is easily the most important of the requirements. I happen to agree with that. :)

Ryan's argument for wallowing in his "cocoon of self-banishment" is that he never wants to get married or have kids, because he just doesn't see the value in it. Natalie tries to counterargue by asking him how he'd feel about dying alone, to which Ryan responds that "we all die alone" no matter what. UP IN THE AIR delivers the message that, true as Ryan's response to Natalie's question may be, what counts most are obviously the moments BEFORE we die, and that there is no doubt that these moments are better spent in the company of others: "Try to think of the happiest moments in your life. I bet that all of them involved other people being present."

This film is also wise enough to point out a severe flaw of modern society that is contributing more and more to this problem of people being unable to make human connections: technology. Clearly, the most obvious example is Natalie's proposal of doing something as horrible as firing someone over a webcam chat... but (perhaps because of karma) she feels the sting of technology and its impersonal nature a little later in the movie, when her boyfriend breaks up with her over a text message (which leads to a fantastic scene that manages to be both funny and heart-breaking during which Natalie loudly breaks down at the airport). It makes no sense that something that is supposed to promote advancement in the field of human communication is actually creating a regression in terms of people's ability to express things to one another, but that is exactly what is happening, and UP IN THE AIR is wholly unafraid to criticize this.

Despite all the praising I've done, I have to confess that, while watching this film, I was occasionally assaulted by a feeling that the potential of this premise wasn't quite being fulfilled to its absolute maximum. UP IN THE AIR could've very easily been a masterpiece of a dramedy. Unfortunately, the film isn't without missteps. A set of scenes involving Ryan taking Alex to his old high school doesn't quite deliver the level of nostalgia that it should. A later sequence involving a supporting character who gets "cold feet" right before a wedding doesn't exert the emotional punch that it should, and its conclusive line ("Welcome home") feels like something taken out of a conventional, feel-good mainstream movie (or even Lifetime fare) rather than what we get from most of the other scenes in this film.

However, I think the main quibble that I have with the film is that it didn't focus even MORE than it did on the character of Natalie. If this film had worked as a character study of BOTH Ryan and Natalie, it would've been absolute bliss for me. It's probably because, no matter what people say about George Clooney's performance, my opinion is that Anna Kendrick is the star of this movie. She blindsides us by initially coming across as cold and calculating, yet eventually unveils her warmth and insecurities, and it's just impossible not to adore her. It's a shame that the subplot of her boyfriend dumping her wasn't given more development and that she didn't have any other love interests later in the film. While Clooney's performance is certainly excellent, I have to take objection to those who are calling it the best of his career, because it would almost seem like they're forgetting his equally brilliant leading turn in MICHAEL CLAYTON. As usual, Vera Farmiga lights up the screen, and I'm very glad that it doesn't look like she's going to be snubbed here like she was for THE DEPARTED. While I have my reservations about the "twist" that comes about at the end in terms of the Alex character, I can't be anything but pleased with Farmiga's performance.

This is the third film from Jason Reitman, a young director who's been on a roll since 2005. His two previous efforts, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and JUNO, are both amazing films. I gave an 8/10 to both, and they were on my top 10 lists for their respective years. The latter one was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2007, and Reitman scored a directing nomination. What I find ironic is that rumor has it that UP IN THE AIR has a good shot at winning the 2009 Best Picture Oscar. I don't say it because I don't think the film is very good. It is. I say it because I think it's Reitman's "least good" movie (if that means anything). It lacks the biting satire of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and the constantly creative dialogue of JUNO. But it's impossible to deny that its observations about human nature are anything short of extraordinary. While it may not be MY favorite film of 2009, it still has a chance at being in my top 10 list (depending on the movies I've yet to see), and there's no doubt that the film has three noteworthy performances, with Kendrick being the most impressive.

If UP IN THE AIR has the effect of getting at least a few people to re-evaluate how much they're actually relishing their connections with others, then its message has certainly been transmitted effectively. As the script wisely points out, the thing that we should consider when we undertake ANYTHING (whether it's getting married or starting a new job or whatever) isn't the fact that this will all eventually end and that we're gonna die anyway. What we need to appreciate is everything that comes before it ends. As Ryan and so many others would mistakenly believe, it's NOT about the final destination. Experiences like watching a film of UP IN THE AIR's caliber do nothing but reinforce that philosophy, which I think people should try to adopt as a mantra for their lives. The film's final, hopeful note is appropriate. If someone like Ryan can accomplish this, there's no reason why the rest of us can't do it as well.

7/10