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Jay's Review of Up In The Air |
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Written by The Diva
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Friday, 04 December 2009 |
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Jay's Review of
Up in the Air (2009)
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Director: Jason Reitman
Writer :Jason Reitman and Shelton Turner, based on the novel by Walter Kim
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Rated  ; running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes
Review Copyright JayFlix,
2009
Remember when they used to say how
sad it was that George Clooney just couldn't seem to make the transition
from TV's "ER" to the big screen? No matter how hard
he tried, he just wasn't cut out to be a movie star. Well, who has the
last laugh now?
This delightful and touching film works on many levels. George Clooney
("Burn After Reading" and the "Ocean's"
franchise) is a corporate downsizing expert. He flies from city to city
working as a hired gun for a company which specializes in letting employees
go. The company he works for is headed by Jason Bateman ("Juno"
and "Extract") who sees today's terrible economy as
a gold mine for his sort of business and they have refined their routine
to a science based on phony compassion. Clooney's character only spends
forty days or so a year in his one-bedroom Omaha apartment, the rest
of the time he's in the air, in airports, in airport hotels or firing
people.
Some of the best segments of this film are the taped interviews with
people as they confront the shock of unemployment. We recognize some
of the faces, but they look and act like the real deal. Special credit
should be given to screenwriters Jason Reitman ("Thank You for
Smoking") and Sheldon Turner ("The Longest Yard"
2005), as they have incorporated the angst of a contemporary issue with
a "ships-that-pass-in-the-night" romance and even work in
a winter wedding.
The aforementioned romance is...are you ready for this?...age appropriate!
Vera Farmiga ("The Departed") is the free spirit who
charms Clooney in various layovers (sorry...) around the country. Anna
Kendrick ("New Moon") is the wet-behind-the-ears freshly
hired college graduate who brings an academic vision of how to streamline
their company. When accused of being interested in Clooney's character,
she scoffs, "He's OLD!" Be ready for generous bits of humor
and clever dialog.
I guess if I came away with any lesson, it would be that old one: "Be
careful what you wish for."
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 December 2009 )
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