Up  In The Air (Jason Reitman, USA)

Reitman has turned the tables yet again, proving he can venture far away from his previous projects and head into more serious territory, while still hanging on to comedic roots with brilliance. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a constant traveler, whose job is to fire people. Bingham is a lost soul, going from airport to airport with little connection to any home, friends or family. He fills the role to perfection. Clooney has so much charisma and hidden desperation that the character clicks right from the start. After the delightful opening credits in which we see an array of aerial photographs we are thrown right into Binghman’s life. Through a montage of hilarious scenes we see how light Bingham travels and how he knows just about every trick in the book.

Anna Kendrick plays a newly hired college graduate at the company. She has plans to get rid of air travel and fire people through an iChat-like interface. The company head, played marvelously by Jason Bateman, has decided to let Anna travel with Clooney to get some experience with face-to-face firing. Through his travels Clooney meets the gorgeous Vera Farmiga, who becomes his love interest and shares many of the same problems in life. Her performance is completely absorbing as she opens up Bingham to the audience. The film effortlessly jumps from moments of harrowing social and personal commentary into sections of pure comedic bliss. Reitman knows how to balance and push each end of the spectrum to the perfect destination. Many people have expressed problems with the third act, but I believe it has a necessary tonal switch, creating a stunning emotional opus. He has made a landmark film with mass appeal, coupled with inherent intimate connections. It has taken us 9 long months, but the first masterpiece of 2009 has finally arrived.

10 out of 10

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