Tuesday 5 January 2010

Mini Review – ‘Up in the Air’

What happens when you spend your life living out of a suitcase, being alone and not forming any lasting relationship with anyone? Are you happy realising your lot in life? Or is there an undercurrent of regret that you try to hide.

Jason Reitman explores this and other themes of morals in and out of the work place. George Clooney gives a solid performance as Ryan and man who travels the country being hired by cowardly men to fire their employees. All he wants is to get to 10,000,000 air miles, and a new recruit (a wonderful Anna Kendrick) threatens to ground him forever with a new concept…..firing via web conferencing. Along the way he meets the luminous Farmiga and beings to soften.

Jason Reitman is proving to be a solid director. Here he finds his most accessible film to date, and is help by an good screenplay and cast.
The final third of the film looses a little steam, and although the story is rather predictable you still enjoy the ride.

After watching it my B.F. turns to me and goes “That was the longest American Airlines ad I have ever seen. ”

Grade – B-

1 comment:

Danny King said...

That's a great picture!

Although you seemed to really enjoy the film, I think I liked it more. Our opinions seems to differ in the third act which I found unpredictable, challenging, and ultimately, satisfying. I don't want to ruin anything for readers who haven't yet seen the film, but it felt like Reitman was going in a convention direction and he did a complete 180.