Up in the Air (2009)

This Orange Wednesday we took a trip to the cinema to see Up in the Air, a comedy-drama starring George Clooney about a man who chooses to be alone and enjoys his job flying around the US, as part of a firm hired to fire employees of other companies. Beginning as a more of a drama, as we follow Clooney's encounter with Vera Farmiga's fellow high-flyer and his battle with Anna Kendrick's young company upstart who wants to replace face-to-face firings with a web cam alternative, the movie brings the comedy in spades, yet never forgets the emotional pull of Clooney and his co-stars. 

I'm a fan of Clooney's off-beat manner, in films like Ocean's Eleven/Thirteen, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and Burn After Reading, and he's just perfect in the role of Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air. There's been a lot of discussion of how Bingham *is* Clooney, and it's easy to see the parallels. It makes the story feel more personal and adds an edge to some of the more downbeat moments in particular. 

I've never seen Farmiga or Kendrick in a film before, but I hope to again! They are both so fantastic - Kendrick is the comedic heart of the film, and Farmiga the sexy emotional soul, although she can sure do comedy well too! The cast is uniformly superb - including Jason Bateman, and a surprisingly touching turn from J.K. Simmons - and the film looks beautiful. The opening titles alone were gorgeous, featuring aerial views around America, and the rest of the movie followed in this vein. I also enjoyed the music, both incidental and director Jason Reitman's choice of songs. 

In fact, there was nothing about this film I didn't love. Alright, the very end was kinda downbeat, but it felt right. There's no Hollywood happy ending, but I came away from the movie distinctly satisfied and pleased with everything I'd just seen. I cannot wait to see Up in the Air again.