Movie Review: Up In The Air.

Jason Reitman has slowly been slowly creeping up on the front of directors to watch. With Thank You For Smoking and Juno, two films worthy of their praise, Reitman has shown us what he can do in a minimal body of work. With Up in the Air, Reitman has solidified the claim of one of the most important directors today.

Air focuses on Ryan Bingham, a man who's job it is to fly all around America and fire the people whose company doesn't have the stomach to fire. Spending the majority of his life on the road and on a plane may seem unappealing and unlivable but Ryan loves the life he leads; a life of solitude, loneliness, and without relations.

His life of isolation quickly becomes threatened when Natalie Keener (relativley newcomer Anna Kendrick) enters his companies life and suggests the idea of firing people via web cam. Now Ryan, and the audience, finds this method without dignity and a cold inhumane way to go about the expulsion of an employee. Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) decides to send Natalie off with Ryan on the road to see what Ryan does. Along the way Natalie sees Ryan's disconnected life, his bizarre relationship with fellow frequent traveler Alex (The Departed's Vera Farmiga), and how Ryan's job affects the people he is firing.

What's interesting about the film's opening is that we see several people's reaction to being fired. They are all heartbreaking and real in an unsettling way. This is because all of these people are not actors, they are real people who really got let go because of the economic situation (another reason on why this film is so relevant). They were brought in by the filmmakers who posed as documentary directors and asked around America for people, who have been recently fired, to come in and talk to an "interviewer" as they would want to talk to the person who has let them go. This is why these segments are so powerful and raw and why it gives the film a whole other dimension.

When you leave the theater or turn off your DVD player (without spoiling anything) you will be most likely feel really depressed about the situation of the world and desperatley feel bad for Clooney's character. This is not an uplifting film. Nonetheless, seek it out.

Hopefully this review has shown why it got the number 2 spot on my best of 2009 list.

Martin.