Writer/Director: Jason Reitman
Co-writer: Sheldon Turner (based off novel by Walter Kirn)
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick
‘Uplifting Drama’
Some decisions are better made earlier than later. When you realize that something is important too late in your life, you may regret it. And that might affect your life completely. Whether it’s a positive or negative effective solely depends on the kind of person you are. It may hurt you and leave scars forever, but there is also a way of moving on.
In Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air”, Ryan Bingham recognizes the values of life too late in his lifetime. It comes as a huge blow to him and deeply affects who he is as a person.
This is one of the many reasons why “Up in the Air” is a great movie. It is one of those rare films where the message is clear and easy to relate to. Starring George Clooney in the leading role, the film tells the story of a business executive with a job that requires him to travel around the country firing people. When the company grounds him, the executive recognizes the true values of life.
It isn’t easy to deliver such a strong and impact-full message. Considering the subject matter that is being displayed, it is even more difficult. However, anything can be accomplished when there is talent both on screen and behind it. With a great cast and a fantastic screenplay, “Up in the Air” accomplishes more than what you would come to expect.
Director Jason Reitman has crafted an important movie for audiences around the world. I wouldn’t say that its easy to direct such technical subject matter, but he succeeds. Along with screenwriter Sheldon Turner, Reitman has managed to create a beautiful screenplay. The dialogue is sharp, clever, and comically admirable, creating humanized characters in realistic situations. Yet not only are the situations real, so is everything else. As opposed to a typical Hollywood movie, this film is straightforward with a distinct message. The movie doesn’t take formulaic routes, which makes it even more effective and impressive.
George Clooney is perfectly cast in what may be the most appropriate role of his career. As a smart business executive, the actor impresses both with his demeanour and personality. It is the subtle gestures, appearance, and expressions that make this performance stand out from what he usually does. Truth be said, Clooney is so brilliantly immersed in his role that I cannot even imagine anyone else playing the character. It’s a career-defining performance from one of the greatest movie-stars working today.
Who would’ve ever imagined that Anna Kendrick, the supporting actress of “Twilight” would excel in the industry? Definitely not me. Though she did appear in a great film (“50/50”) two years back, Kendrick never seemed like the kind of actress that would make it big. Yet despite all my gripes about her, she delivers a fine performance in the movie. It is the kind of acting that develops an actress like her into a star.
For a movie that is created in simplicity, “Up in the Air” is a brilliant, lightweight comedy that offers more than what you expect from the genre. The most surprising thing about the film is it’s ability to give such a clear and concise message to the audience. That rarely ever happens in an industry where conventional and formulaic movies get released.
During a time when the future of Hollywood is up in the air, it’s reassuring to be reminded that movies like “Up in the Air” are still being made by filmmakers that care.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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