George Clooney and Vera Farmiga work their magic in Up in the Air.
Juno director’s latest makes the most of a strong cast
If you’re going to hit the skies with a rut-riding curmudgeonly middle-aged businessman it might as well be George Clooney. In an age when you can count the remaining true Hollywood stars on your fingers it’s an increasingly rare pleasure to follow one around the airport hearing him relay useful tidbits on ethnic stereotyping air-miles maximization and HR etiquette without watching it on TMZ . And all with that $20 million smile. Sigh….
Clooney as corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham embodies his character’s motto “moving is living” with verve and urbanity. The movie jumps right into Ryan’s 21st century twist on the escapist lifestyle establishing a fresh and detailed scenario that emphasizes the pleasures of connection-free living before throwing a couple wrenches into the routine.
Wrench No. 1 is laidback cougar-type Alex who knows a good thing when she sees it and nudges Ryan in the same direction. Vera Farmiga matches Clooney with wit and charm in what so often feels like cinematically uncharted territory: a woman of intelligence warmth and directness. The pair has a natural connection; they make each other happy though Alex insists that the relationship remains as she puts it “an escape.” For Ryan the question becomes an escape from what? To what? As his world is upended he finds himself leaning harder than he wants to on the arrangement.
Wrench No. 2 is the young upstart at Ryan’s downsizing firm Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) an entertaining mix of cute and cutthroat traits. Like a bat out of Cornell she’s hell-bent on proving her mettle in the business world by digitizing the already impersonal firing process. This obviously chafes Ryan so he challenges her to learn the human side before dismissing it out of hand. They make a good pair of screwballs.
Rising director Jason Reitman ably keeps pace with his high-wattage star balancing efficiency whimsy tension and strife with a skilled hand. Air inherits the skewering wit of Reitman’s Thank You For Smoking and tempers it with the empathy of Juno both improving with age. His camera is precise and welcomes colour and light in an aerodynamic style befitting the title. Editing is a great asset as well cuts coming hard and fast always with a point and often with a punchline. Even the opening titles are a joy echoing the mid-century glory days of Saul Bass. Up In the Air is wise transparent and well-paced. Its downsizing theme is also highly topical as has been endlessly discussed in the media but it’ll be well worth seeing with or without a recession.
