THE CHARISMATIC STAR wattage of George Clooney is glowing in full force in "Up In the Air", his new film that got six Oscars, including best picture. It became a big hit in the U.S. because of good word-to-mouth endorsement that gave it long legs at the box office. Its Oscar nominations surely also helped make the public more interested in it.
The film's chief asset is its very well written script by Director Jason Reitman (nominated before for "Juno") and co-writer Sheldon Turner. The characters are well developed, the lines sparkle with wit. Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a man who uses much personal charm in his job as a Career Transitional Counselor to tell people that they've been fired. In performing his job as layoff officer for companies afraid to do the firing themselves, he travels from one city to another and practically lives in a suitcase, spending most of his time in airplanes and hotels. He declares: "All the things you hate about flying are warm reminders that I'm home."
He has a one-bedroom condo unit in Omaha, but he is seldom home there. He avoids commitment and doesn't see the need to be married, preferring no-strings-attached one night stands. His one aim in life is to collect 10 million miles to become a member of that very exclusive club of frequent air travelers. He also conducts seminars where he tells people how not to burden their lives with material and personal baggage.
Two women slowly change Ryan's structured life and world view. First is Alex (Vera Farmiga), an itinerant business person like him he meets by chance. Like him, she lives in planes and hotels. After they cavort in bed, she tells him: "Think of me as yourself, only with a vagina." He feels close enough to her that he later invites her to the wedding of his younger sister. The second woman is Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick of "Twilight"), a young graduate just hired by his boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman). Natalie advances the idea of just using teleconference to fire people online instead of telling it to them face to face. This will save their company millions in airfare, but Ryan tells her this is not the way to lay off people and brings her with him to his travels to prove his point. This leads to some surprising turns of events as they become an odd couple who learns some valid lessons from each other, with him being a father figure to her.
The movie is very timely as several people were really laid off in the U.S. because of the recession. It shows how businesses can be inhuman in the way they retrench their work force. The character of Ryan as a hatchetman is a product of today's business culture. He doesn't believe in settling down and having his own wife and kids. He has two sisters but he hardly gets in touch with them. This is best represented in the motivational talks he conducts where he asks his audience: "What's in your backpack?"
George Clooney deserves his best actor nomination as Ryan, giving the complex role a winning and balanced performance as a carefree man who slowly realizes the chilly loneliness of his solitary existence. He's particularly wonderful in that scene where he, a commitment phobe, has to convince his sister's groom, who's having cold feet and wants to back out, to go on with the wedding. In the end, we somehow sympathize with him.
Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick also fully merit the Oscar best supporting actress nominations they got. Vera (also excellent in "The Departed") is delightful in a sharply written role that provides a big ironic twist in the end that makes her Ryan's perfect foil. Anna is totally convincing as the ingenue whose earnest career ambitions are undermined by her actual lack of experience in life. She gets some important life lessons from an unlikely mentor and is especially endearing when she's suddenly dumped by her boyfriend and she and Alex talk about their different expectations about an ideal mate.
The film is a splendid combination of drama and comedy, with some really hilarious situations and some genuinely touching moments. None of the characters borders on being a caricature and they all come out as real persons with their own quirks and shortcomings. Those who think this is a rom-com with the usual obligatory happy ending will be disappointed. But the film's conclusion is adequately prepared for and makes perfect sense for the lead character.
The film's chief asset is its very well written script by Director Jason Reitman (nominated before for "Juno") and co-writer Sheldon Turner. The characters are well developed, the lines sparkle with wit. Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a man who uses much personal charm in his job as a Career Transitional Counselor to tell people that they've been fired. In performing his job as layoff officer for companies afraid to do the firing themselves, he travels from one city to another and practically lives in a suitcase, spending most of his time in airplanes and hotels. He declares: "All the things you hate about flying are warm reminders that I'm home."
He has a one-bedroom condo unit in Omaha, but he is seldom home there. He avoids commitment and doesn't see the need to be married, preferring no-strings-attached one night stands. His one aim in life is to collect 10 million miles to become a member of that very exclusive club of frequent air travelers. He also conducts seminars where he tells people how not to burden their lives with material and personal baggage.
Two women slowly change Ryan's structured life and world view. First is Alex (Vera Farmiga), an itinerant business person like him he meets by chance. Like him, she lives in planes and hotels. After they cavort in bed, she tells him: "Think of me as yourself, only with a vagina." He feels close enough to her that he later invites her to the wedding of his younger sister. The second woman is Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick of "Twilight"), a young graduate just hired by his boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman). Natalie advances the idea of just using teleconference to fire people online instead of telling it to them face to face. This will save their company millions in airfare, but Ryan tells her this is not the way to lay off people and brings her with him to his travels to prove his point. This leads to some surprising turns of events as they become an odd couple who learns some valid lessons from each other, with him being a father figure to her.
The movie is very timely as several people were really laid off in the U.S. because of the recession. It shows how businesses can be inhuman in the way they retrench their work force. The character of Ryan as a hatchetman is a product of today's business culture. He doesn't believe in settling down and having his own wife and kids. He has two sisters but he hardly gets in touch with them. This is best represented in the motivational talks he conducts where he asks his audience: "What's in your backpack?"
George Clooney deserves his best actor nomination as Ryan, giving the complex role a winning and balanced performance as a carefree man who slowly realizes the chilly loneliness of his solitary existence. He's particularly wonderful in that scene where he, a commitment phobe, has to convince his sister's groom, who's having cold feet and wants to back out, to go on with the wedding. In the end, we somehow sympathize with him.
Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick also fully merit the Oscar best supporting actress nominations they got. Vera (also excellent in "The Departed") is delightful in a sharply written role that provides a big ironic twist in the end that makes her Ryan's perfect foil. Anna is totally convincing as the ingenue whose earnest career ambitions are undermined by her actual lack of experience in life. She gets some important life lessons from an unlikely mentor and is especially endearing when she's suddenly dumped by her boyfriend and she and Alex talk about their different expectations about an ideal mate.
The film is a splendid combination of drama and comedy, with some really hilarious situations and some genuinely touching moments. None of the characters borders on being a caricature and they all come out as real persons with their own quirks and shortcomings. Those who think this is a rom-com with the usual obligatory happy ending will be disappointed. But the film's conclusion is adequately prepared for and makes perfect sense for the lead character.
