What makes a person truly free or truly happy? Do the homes, possessions and relationships in our lives support us or hold us down? This is the question at the center of "Up in the Air," a beautiful, funny and heartfelt story of a man who lives everywhere but has no home.
The story follows Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), who works at an Omaha company as a "termination facilitator," serving as the middleman between corporations and the employees they are letting go. Ryan travels from office to office as the Grim Reaper of the corporate world, and considering the current economic climate, his business has never been better. On the road for 11 months out of the year, Ryan hates returning home — because he doesn't have one. He has no meaningful relationships and only owns what he can carry in his luggage. To Ryan, people and possessions weigh everyone down, and true freedom is only achieved by carrying as little physical and emotional baggage as possible.
His worldview is put to the test by two women that enter his life. The first is Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a fellow business traveler whom Ryan meets one night in a hotel bar. After comparing airline platinum cards and boasting about how many miles they've flown, the two begin a loose sexual relationship that plays out in hotel rooms and convention centers across the country. The second is Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a young, smart employee at Ryan's company who develops a system that enables their company to fire people remotely via Web chat. Understanding that this new procedure would threaten his travel-centric way of life, Ryan agrees to take Natalie on the road with him to show her why firing people requires a more personal touch.
The performances are tremendous, starting with Clooney. His Ryan Bingham is a confident, likable man who is steadfast in his beliefs — though that confidence slowly erodes as the film progresses. It would be easy to hate his character for a variety of reasons, but Clooney makes it impossible not to be drawn to him. Many viewers will no doubt complain that Clooney is simply playing himself in the film. But the true strength of Clooney's performance lies in his ability to display just enough vulnerability under his well-crafted facade of charm and confidence. It is a testament to Clooney's acting abilities that he can commit to his typical charisma, but know exactly when and where to pull back to let the audience look deeper.
Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are also superb in their roles. Vera's character is a seemingly perfect companion for Bingham — as she so eloquently deadpans to Bingham, "I'm just like you with a vagina." She is as charming and confident as Clooney, and she shines brilliantly in her performance. Anna Kendrick is equally terrific as she beautifully portrays an ambitious, poised, sometimes abrasive young woman who is, below the surface, just a sweet, scared girl. In one of the movie's best scenes, Kendrick's character breaks down in a moment that is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking.
While the actors are outstanding, their success can be directly attributed to writer and director Jason Reitman. The movie is beautifully shot, and the script is superb, something audiences have come to expect from Reitman.
The script is not as edgy as that of "Juno" (2007), but it is just as funny and decidedly more mature, with significantly more depth. The film pulls the audience in many different emotional directions, and it is clear that Reitman is coming into his own as a writer and director. Many have tried to pin down "Up in the Air" as comedy or drama, but either distinction would be wrong. By the end of the film, the audience experiences every emotion possible. The journey is exhilarating and painfully authentic.
"Up in the Air" is Reitman's third feature film, following "Thank You for Smoking" (2006) and the Oscar-nominated "Juno" — and it outdoes both. In today's Hollywood, filled with big budgets and CGI orgies, it's refreshing to see a smart film that relies on the power of good acting and great storytelling. "Up in the Air" is funny, touching and, simply put, the best movie of the year.
