Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno)
Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons and Danny McBride
Up in the Air takes off just fine but eventually crashes and burns.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) works for Omaha based Career Transition Counseling whose contracts are in corporate downsizing. In other words, they fire people. Ryan is flying around the US over 320 days of the year, which he feels is the best part of his job. He does whatever he can to rack up frequent flyer miles, the goal not to use them but just to accumulate them to a specific number he has in his mind. As a secondary job he is a motivational speaker whose message is simple: dump your physical and emotional baggage. Ryan's life may change when the company hires Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a young overachieving woman who recommends that the company change the nature of the work by conducting the “firings” via web cams. Ryan is also trying to protect his way of life, which now includes meeting up with a woman named Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) whenever their flight schedules mesh. But will Ryan find true happiness?
Let me tackle some of the easy stuff first…and quickly. Reitman keeps things moving and I loved the slow and steady narration over the quick choppy shots of Clooney traveling. Speaking of Clooney, he and the rest of the cast are all great. Even Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons and Danny McBride are all so good in their small roles.
I have to warn you that the rest of this review has a pretty big spoiler in it so if you hate hearing the ending…stop reading now. O.K. you were warned.
Up in the Air is your typical depressing film about the importance of family and friends in your life. In the story, Ryan thinks he has it all figured out. No wife and kids, hardly any friends, and a dismally white apartment that he spends less than four months in a year. In fact he lives out of a carry-on suitcase, because skipping the baggage claim hassle saves him 35 minutes a flight. Despite how deeply he believes the things he says, we know he is going to have a change of heart…and he does.
We also see him as a ladies’ man (I know, big stretch for Clooney), who we assume will fall in love…and he does. I didn’t like the causal sexual relationship that develops between Ryan and Alex but I hated the fact that she is married and he discovers this with a surprise visit to her house. During that visit we see her kids playing in the background and her husband asking who was at the door. What pushed me over the edge was her outrage – yeah she’s mad that he made a surprise visit and almost “ruined everything.”
At the end, instead of finding true love and being happy, he is proven to be right and rides off into the sunset (on a plane)…the exact same person.
I’m not surprised how well others have raved about this film…but for me it’s a “Skip It.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No, the story is too mature and there aren’t any redeemable characters.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
