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A wholesome entertainer,
Up In The Air dares to look at what lies behind George Clooney has been variously described as "That Hollywood hunk" and "its sexiest man". So much for his good looks and persona, but he is also a very talented actor, able to get under the skin of variety of roles, and holding the film together, in the best Al Pacino and Robert De Niro tradition. This is what precisely happens in Up in the Air.
As Ryan Binghem, Clooney is a high-profile corporate downsizer, who spends most of his time in air planes, travelling to offices all over the United States, and firing people without depressing them. He is the proverbial loner, who soon discovers that there is more to life than rootlessness, pink slips and the anonymity of flying business class. Will that ever change? Can he finally settle down? Well, the beauty of Up in the Air lies in its immense topicality. Rooted in the present continuous, the film’s most pressing concern is today’s corporate culture ... downsizing ... and dares to look at what lies behind those dreaded pink slips. It is basically an incisive look into the mores of modern living, where success, independence and white-collared wonderment have become synonymous, with a cocoon of self-banishment that is isolation and inability to connect. Based on a novel by Walter Kiran and directed by Jason Ritmen, Up in the Air has George Clooney vying for top Oscar this year. Anna Kendrick as his psychology major colleague, Natalie, is also nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar, but it is Clooney who steals the show with an absolutely riveting performance as he goes about his thankless task in recession-hit America. But, when he asks his young colleague Natalie (Kendrick) of her idea of marriage, he is treading on dangerous ground. Or is it deep waters? The two dramatically opposite characters are in for a change. Who will give in, is the question? Meanwhile, they hit upon a scary idea, which their boss falls for, hook line and sinker. What’s next? Time for a few of lives
lessons to be exchanged as well between the generation-gapped
corporate buddies and the script is quite scintillating. And this
modern fable is brilliantly handled by director Reitmen. Great
performances, excellent one-liners and repartee galore make for
exhilarating fare. Clooney could well end up with the top Oscar while
Kendrick is also cute in this delightful romp in wonderland. Not in a
long while has one come upon such a delightful wholesome entertainer.
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