Film review: Up in the Air

In the cloud is a movie whose entire point can be discerned from its title. This new production from Juno director Jason Reitman sees George Clooney as a man whose existence involves traveling from National airport to airport, basically living on top of "life," which weighs on the rest of us.

Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham, is a corporate axe man. Struggling companies hire employees like Ryan to fire employees for them -- so cowardly bosses don't have to deal with the inconvenience of crushing their employees. With the economy in trouble, life is very important to the restless Ryan, who has plenty of axed employees to help "transition" the entire United States, meaning he can be on the road, free, and fly high where he thinks he belongs.

Young company shark Natalie (Anna Kendrick) sells Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) in a business model where the Axe man terminates employees via webcam, enabling the company to waie all expensive travel expenses. Seeing his own career (and lifestyle) on the brink of extinction, Ryan convinces his boss that Natalie, the young whip-snapper, needs to experience the world firsthand and is desperate to "downsize." So off they go, old man and young shark, flying into the heart of American failure.

Certainly, the journey reveals new things about the traveler. Ryan has some wonderful "layovers" with Alex (Vera Farmiga), an elite frequent flyer, and begins to wonder if his solitary life is really worth it. Natalie goes out on the front lines, comes face to face with the real flesh and blood staff, and wonders if her cold ambition really hides a soft heart. Ryan's demeanor is very mild, but the heart is a little cold, Natalie is his opponent; It's a great match. In the end, who can say what is what and what will be in the future? One of those lies, I think for many people, is the make-or-break point in the air.

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner's adaptation of Walter King's novel is masterful in its approach. There are a lot of important things in this movie, but the movie itself manages to avoid cheap emotion or emotional manipulation. Scenes of Ryan and Natalie firing people at work, containing a montage of real Americans "adrift" in a struggling economy. Hearing and seeing real people venting the effects of their anger, fear and frustration about the future with a sense of urgency, but also feeling a sense of real human dignity that Hollywood can hardly imitate. Fortunately, Reitman made the wise choice of only having to lay things down with the eye of a documentary - that's what's happening, that's what's happening now - without spreading any Gospel or trying to take responsibility.

The two main characters, Ryan and Natalie, also come from the smart perspective of two people who are sent to deal with the mess that has been created - without worrying about who caused it. Beyond the cliched moral or moral questions, the film opens a very new examination of how we respond to turmoil, fear and uncertainty, both externally (such as caring about our work) and internally, primarily our emotions and emotional connections.

The main actors in the film are excellent. George Clooney - in a brilliantly understated performance - never seems to shy away from the ever-present fact that aspects of his off-screen persona - such as his real-life attitude to marriage - are being reflected in Ryan's character. I'd go so far as to say Clooney is brave in this film, as it channels his public swagger and interest through Ryan, even if it's made clear in several of the most painful moments in the air and Ryan is a man who has long believed in his bachelor's degree.

Anna Kendrick has sparked a red-hot buzz because she's the hot Natalie, and rightfully so. She spends almost all of her screen time trading sarcasm with one of the most charming and attractive leaders on the planet at the moment, and never once looks like the new girl in school (unless her character is supposed to). In fact, Kendrick is pretty much a scene-stealer throughout the film, pulling off a remarkable feat against the likes of Clooney.

Vera Farmiga is as elusive, mysterious and beautiful as ever in her role as Alex. As with her performance in "The Departed," I never felt like I was on screen enough, but I certainly felt like I wanted to see more of her in the future. Up In The Air also has some great roles, including great performances by JK Simmons (Juno), Zach Galifianakas (The Hangover) and Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder).

Jason Reitman again deserves his upcoming award nomination for this film. From the opening sequence, which includes a gorgeous mashup of the pilot's eye-beautifying shots; Every colorful scene; In the still, quiet and heavyweight moments of human emotion, the direction here is tight and professionally controlled, yet still soft and subtle enough to make you forget that what you're looking at is so carefully, artfully, and exquisitely crafted. I was fully involved in the flight from start to finish.

Without a doubt, the ending will be the dividing factor of the film. I still wrestle with the end, and that's the main reason I can't give five stars in the air. Without breaking anything, I'll refer to what I said at the beginning: In the cloud is a movie whose entire point can be discerned from its title. For those who like to reward good movies, bad is punished, there is no moral or morally gray thing.