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UP IN THE AIR |
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"To know me is to fly with me." I could have easily said those words myself as I
also am a tavel journalist. But these are instead the words of George Clooney's character Ryan Bingham of "Up in the Air". Ryan is not a travel writer, he is a corporate downsizer. He makes his living flying around giving people
pink slips as companies trim the fat off their payroll. It's not a nice job and considering the current economic situation,
Ryan's job may rub a lot of people the wrong way. But this is exactly what makes "Up in the Air" not only one of the best films
of the year but also Clooney's best performance to date. |
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For many years, I have heard how Clooney is the embodiment of Cary Grant yet aside from his looks - I'd yet
to see the comparison. Then there was - in my estimation - that breakthrough role in "Michael Clayton" when he seemed to
learn that if he added a little heart he would be more convincing. Voila! From pretty boy to actor in one movie. Directed by Jason Reitman (who made Aaron Eckhart look good in "Thank You For Smoking"), Ryan is a similar character.
he lives for personal gain and rewards. With his heavy travel schedule, the rewards are frequent flier miles - of which he is nearing 10 million miles on American Airlines.
It is a goal he is shooting for despite he will attain it at the expense of people he terminates. Or as he puts it - provides with new growth opportunities. Ryan has spent more than 300 days on the road at seemingly every Hilton hotel in the United States. He finds this much better than
staying in his bleak apartment in Omaha. He has very few relationships - his biggest to date is with his boss Craig (Jason
Bateman). That soon changes when he encounters two women. |
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The first woman is Alex Goran
(Vera Farmiga) who is so much like him that she is, as she states him "with a vagina". We don't know what she does, but she is a business hawk just like
Ryan. They hit it off immediately as he refers to his acumulated frequent flier miles like it's his manhood. She is,
impressed with how 'big' it is. The second woman threatens to end his career. She is Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) who is
his heir apparent. In other words, she is hired to replace him with a more effecient way of firing people. Craig has called him to come home off the road to meet the future. Suddenly, Ryan has to interact with love and hate in a
short peiod of time. The downsizer gets ready to be downsized. His entire life on the road will land him in the one place he
hates to be... at home. His entire life, based on keeping [as he calls] his backpack free of burdens suddenly gets bogged down with two monster challenges. It must be noted that Farminga and Kendrick are perfectly cast and highlight his dilema wonderfully. Kendrick plays the young know-it-all brainiac with no real sense of the real world perfectly. She reminds you of that
person who you warn about the wall ahead - who continues on full speed until impact. Farminga as Natilie is sexy and quick witted. easily his match and maybe even his
better. Clooney sells his character. He sells it as well as Cary Grant sold
his roles in "North by Northwest", "Houseboat", "An Affair to Remember" and even "Charade". You can feel the
tension and you can sense Ryan's inability to cope with his rapidly changing situations. He has been able to
dish it out, but can he take it? "Up in the Air" is the perfect movie to spoil the Oscars. It
is timely and not nearly as depressing as "Prescious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire", as bleak as "The Road"
and lacks the violence of "Inglorious Basterds"... therefore it will be a front runner.
Moreover, it may mark that breakthrough for Clooney - a Best
Actor Oscar. Perhaps a bit too early, but surely "Up in the Air" will land on solid ground. --GEOFFREY BURTON
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