Up In The Air
What?
Ryan (George Clooney) lives for his job. It is not that he enjoys firing people, which is what he does, but he enjoys the life that it gives him. His life is one of corporate travel, racking up air miles and staying in hotels. He is not married, and has not seen his family for years - he is a loner, paradoxically always surrounded by people. One day his boss introduces him to young hot shot Natalie Keener, who during a company briefing advises that their firm is not immune to the recession, and that in order to cut costs the fleet of corporate downsizers will be grounded and passing on the bad news via a web link. Ryan is appalled, mainly because of the impact it will have on his jet set lifestyle, so he suggests that Natalie join him on his next whirlwind round of head chopping to show that when canning employees, the personal touch is required. Along the way Ryan’s life choices are challenged by Natalie and he also meets and falls for Alex (Farmiga), a female version of himself, but does he discover that there is more to life than racking up ten million air miles?
George Clooney is engaging in whatever he does, and with Up In The Air, nothing changes - he is every inch the movie star, looking sharp in his suits, and coasting through his performance on his easygoing and likable charm. The cast across the board are good, Farmiga is fantastic as Clooney's female foil and it is really good to see an actress who is the same age as her co-star, rather than ten or fifteen years his junior. The revelation for me though was Anna Kendrick who puts in a fantastic turn as the ice maiden youngster Natalie who turns up and threatens to chop down the hatchet men, but then over the course of the movie takes a journey of her own. Jason Reitman, following up Juno, sets a very deliberate pace which is slow, but never boring. The structure is basically a road, well air movie, where over the course of the journey the main protagonists make discoveries about themselves and those they love. The movie tackles some heavy themes about family and life choices, but with a lightness of touch that keeps things fresh and interesting. You could argue that Reitman glosses over the plight of the hundreds of people we see Clooney canning, in favour of focusing on a rich jet setters’ inconsequential life issues, but it is not that movie, and never tries to be. The last third throws a couple of curveballs, but Reitman steers things to a satisfying conclusion with a confidence that suggests he is certainly a director and writer to look out for.
Optics:
Visually things are a bit of a mixed bag, although I think this is intentional on the part of the makers. The first two thirds of the movie, and in fact any of the airport and travelling scenes are fairly flat, detail is good but the colour reproduction can at times look a little muted, which is reflective of Ryan’s ordered lifestyle. When things move back home and things get a little more quirky, so does the image, with more vibrant colours and a rough round the edges feel, hand held photography is even introduced at the wedding and build up, giving a faux documentary look.
Sonics:
Sound wise it is all a bit pedestrian and almost entirely from the front. Dialogue is clear and centred and the eclectic soundtrack is reproduced well - Reitman proves once again what a fantastic record collection he must have - but the surrounds are used sparingly, and the sub even less.
Extras:
The commentary on the main feature and the deleted scenes is fun, breezy and informative, and where the main info dump is to be found. A few brief featurettes pad things without adding much and the set is completed with a couple of trailers.
Well?
Good looking people, wearing designer clothes and jetting around the states may seem boring and superficial, but the slick glossy exterior hides a thought provoking movie about real people that feels very ‘here and now’ with its subject matter, while Reitman proves that Juno was no fluke and cements himself as a talent to watch.
Kris Williams
Ryan (George Clooney) lives for his job. It is not that he enjoys firing people, which is what he does, but he enjoys the life that it gives him. His life is one of corporate travel, racking up air miles and staying in hotels. He is not married, and has not seen his family for years - he is a loner, paradoxically always surrounded by people. One day his boss introduces him to young hot shot Natalie Keener, who during a company briefing advises that their firm is not immune to the recession, and that in order to cut costs the fleet of corporate downsizers will be grounded and passing on the bad news via a web link. Ryan is appalled, mainly because of the impact it will have on his jet set lifestyle, so he suggests that Natalie join him on his next whirlwind round of head chopping to show that when canning employees, the personal touch is required. Along the way Ryan’s life choices are challenged by Natalie and he also meets and falls for Alex (Farmiga), a female version of himself, but does he discover that there is more to life than racking up ten million air miles?
George Clooney is engaging in whatever he does, and with Up In The Air, nothing changes - he is every inch the movie star, looking sharp in his suits, and coasting through his performance on his easygoing and likable charm. The cast across the board are good, Farmiga is fantastic as Clooney's female foil and it is really good to see an actress who is the same age as her co-star, rather than ten or fifteen years his junior. The revelation for me though was Anna Kendrick who puts in a fantastic turn as the ice maiden youngster Natalie who turns up and threatens to chop down the hatchet men, but then over the course of the movie takes a journey of her own. Jason Reitman, following up Juno, sets a very deliberate pace which is slow, but never boring. The structure is basically a road, well air movie, where over the course of the journey the main protagonists make discoveries about themselves and those they love. The movie tackles some heavy themes about family and life choices, but with a lightness of touch that keeps things fresh and interesting. You could argue that Reitman glosses over the plight of the hundreds of people we see Clooney canning, in favour of focusing on a rich jet setters’ inconsequential life issues, but it is not that movie, and never tries to be. The last third throws a couple of curveballs, but Reitman steers things to a satisfying conclusion with a confidence that suggests he is certainly a director and writer to look out for.
Optics:
Visually things are a bit of a mixed bag, although I think this is intentional on the part of the makers. The first two thirds of the movie, and in fact any of the airport and travelling scenes are fairly flat, detail is good but the colour reproduction can at times look a little muted, which is reflective of Ryan’s ordered lifestyle. When things move back home and things get a little more quirky, so does the image, with more vibrant colours and a rough round the edges feel, hand held photography is even introduced at the wedding and build up, giving a faux documentary look.
Sonics:
Sound wise it is all a bit pedestrian and almost entirely from the front. Dialogue is clear and centred and the eclectic soundtrack is reproduced well - Reitman proves once again what a fantastic record collection he must have - but the surrounds are used sparingly, and the sub even less.
Extras:
The commentary on the main feature and the deleted scenes is fun, breezy and informative, and where the main info dump is to be found. A few brief featurettes pad things without adding much and the set is completed with a couple of trailers.
Well?
Good looking people, wearing designer clothes and jetting around the states may seem boring and superficial, but the slick glossy exterior hides a thought provoking movie about real people that feels very ‘here and now’ with its subject matter, while Reitman proves that Juno was no fluke and cements himself as a talent to watch.
Kris Williams
Director:
Jason Reitman
Starring:
George Clooney
Vera Farmiga
Anna Kendrick
Jason Bateman
Amy Morton
Sam Elliott
Danny McBride
Zach Galifianakis
Best line:
Tagline:
"The Story of a Man Ready To Make a Connection."
Description:
Paramount
Region 2
Rated 15
1Hr 48 Mins
1.85:1
(Anamorphic)
Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio commentary from Jason Reitman
'Before The Story'
Deleted and extended scenes with commentary
'To Know Me is to Love Me'
Omaha montage
Trailers
Ratings: (Out of 5)
Film 4.0
Optics 3.0
Sonics 3.0
Extras 3.0
Overall 4.0
