Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Directors: Jason Reitman, Paramount Pictures, M 118 Minutes.
Based on Walter Kirn’s renowned novel George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a career transition counsellor and corporate downsizing expert hired to travel across America to fire or ‘let go’ long-term employees.
Ryan clearly takes his job seriously and enjoys his extensive periods away, in particular building up his frequent flyer miles in order to achieve the top mark of 10 million points.
But his world is soon turned upside-down when a young newcomer named Natalie (Anna Kendrick – ‘Pitch Perfect’) makes a surprising suggestion to her boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman – ‘Horrible Bosses’ franchise).
It so happens that Natalie has proposed a more cost-effective approach which would achieve a better result if people were terminated via video-conferencing but before Craig agrees he tells Natalie she must initially accompany Bingham on his travels.
To ensure he can continue to enjoy his perks Ryan takes Natalie on the first of his cross-country firing trips where she is introduced to his fellow traveller and love interest Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga – ‘Source Code’).
By the time they have traversed the country and stopped in different cities Natalie begins to realise the disheartening realities of her profession while Ryan begins to see the disadvantages to his way of life.
Reitman’s clever modern comedy is an adaptation of the screenplay from Sheldon Turner and Reitman himself-earning the movie a Golden Globe Award.
Clooney is completely in his element, delivering one of his best performances to date with his role perfectly complemented by impressive performances from Kendrick and Farmiga.
In addition, the story addresses a range of current issues such as the economic crisis, the generation gap, love on the merry-go-round, and most importantly the downsizing of companies and how best to shed staff.
Despite an ‘up in the air’ ending, Reitman has ensured that viewers will find his 2009 ‘downsizing’ drama as entertaining as it is poignant, due mainly to a well-written script and the performances of its leading actors.
Up In The Air is being televised on 9GEM on Friday 9 April at 10.35pm.
Vic’s Verdict: 4 Stars
