The Mount Observer

Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: News

Jason Reitman, Director of Juno and Thank You for Smoking, hits a third one straight out of the ballpark. Up in the Air is a prominent film that accomplishes something that many films never get the chance to do, capture an era while it's still happening. This is a movie that focuses on a man and how he does his job. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a convincing guy who travels around the United States three hundred and some odd days out of the year to do one thing that a big boss of some significant corporation couldn't do his or herself: fire his employees. Bingham doesn't only fire people that he's never met before, but he also uses his whit in the process to prompt these people to move onto future endeavors and chase their dreams, instead of being stuck in the same boring cubicle they've been sitting in for the past decade.

Ryan Bingham is a mastermind in persuading people to avoid commitment. Bingham loves his job and goes about it in quite an authoritative manner. He lays the ground rules out, gives people options, and ultimately it's up to them if they want to take those options or shove it back in his face and throw a temper tantrum. Bingham takes pride in his job and fires people with dignity. He is the type of guy who has no trouble dealing with other people's personal problems, but when he's reminded of his own demons he is faced with a dilemma.

Ryan expresses minimal interest to the newest employee that he is forced to take under his wing and "show her the ropes of the biz." She attempts dearly to break him out of his shell but Ryan never seems to budge. She asks him about marriage and Ryan replies that he will never get married and never have kids. He's committed solely to his career. He jaunts around the airports and points out minor details to his new prospect about different ethnic groups and how they go about their daily activities and the way they choose to travel. The young new prospect, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) calls him racist, but Bingham proudly informs her that he's just stereotyping, because it's faster.

Ryan Bingham is like a dark knight. He's an alchemistic guy who doesn't want many people knowing about what he does or anything else about his personal life. He's a very isolated guy who is ironically always surrounded by many people throughout his travels. When people ask Ryan where he lives, he simply replies with, "here," indicating that he lives on the road, or technically up in the air.

Up in the Air is a fantastic film that portrays an era that we can all relate to, an era of today. We live in a time where the economy is in a constant downward spiral, with many people facing unemployment. This is a film that defines this time period very well. George Clooney, as always, never seems to disappoint in an important and riveting leading role. I wouldn't be surprised if he's nominated for best actor in a leading role at this year's Oscars, and depending on the competition he's faced with, he may even get the nod.

Up in the Air has received 5 stars out of 5 stars.

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