Up in the Air

Rating: 4.5/5

Charming, surprising, and emotional; Up in the Air is unique and unpredictable.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), works for a company that is hired out to other businesses in order to fire their employees. Ryan spends more time in planes and hotels than he does at home, so he lives a very independent existence, but that's the way he likes it. While waiting for a flight, Ryan meets a woman named Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) who appears to share the same ideals as him, and the two immediately hit it off and arrange their schedules to make sure that they can meet again.

When Ryan returns to his home base in Omaha, he is dumbfounded to learn that a young and eager new employee named Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is trying to revolutionize the company by firing people over the internet rather than in person. Determined to prove her wrong, Ryan takes Natalie in the air with him, on a mission to show her the importance of face to face contact in their line of business. While traveling from city to city, Ryan unexpectedly begins to discover a part of him he never thought could exist.

To be perfectly honest, when I watched this film, I initially watched it for Vera Farmiga, and not George Clooney, because as unpopular as my opinion may be, I am usually not the biggest fan of him. That being said, I actually really enjoyed him in Up in the Air. His general air of charisma and mild conceit work very well for his character, and it is one of the only Clooney films that I have seen where I not only like the film, but also like his performance. Vera Farmiga's portrayal of Alex was just as great as I anticipated. It should also be stated that, given this was one of Anna Kendrick's first leading roles, she also did a brilliant job.

I love it when a movie is unpredictable, and Up in the Air most certainly is. It has the vibe of some of the more well known indie comedy-dramas, but makes its' own path when it comes to the pattern of its' plot. I am usually quite good at guessing the end results of a film, but Up in the Air caught me off guard, and I really loved it for that.

With a concept about a company that fires people for a living, you would expect there to be some scenes of raw emotion and anger, which of course, there are. However, I didn't expect the incredibly short scenes to create such a lasting impact. The actors who are playing the characters that are losing their jobs, add a level of poignancy that is both heartbreaking and very hard to get out of your mind.

Up in the Air may not be one of the most watched films in recent history, but it is definitely deserving of its' six Academy Award nominations. I was so pleasantly surprised when I watched this film for the first time, and for those who have never seen, it is definitely worth taking the time to watch, because it is quite great.