Up In The Air

Up In the Air

Director: Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking)

Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Melanie Lynskey

MPAA: Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Up In The Air is a very good film, but because I knew it was going to be good I was not knocked off my feet by how incredible it was. In fact, while my wife loved it, I really did not get why this movie is so hyped. It is really good, I am not saying that it wasn’t I just was expecting to be blown away…and it failed to blow me away. I was blown away by Michael Clayton, that was an amazing film, and I expected that from Up In The Air. That is not to say that this was a bad film; it was excellent.



Reitman has a vicious wit that is really apparent in Thank You For Smoking and comes through in this drama/comedy as well. He is a talented director and screen writer that makes his message clear, and does a good job making a movie with a heart and soul. Combining that with top notch acting from Clooney, and a powerful performance from Kendrick (Twilight’s fun and flirty Jessica), this movie is witty and entertaining masterpiece.



Clooney works for a company that is hired out by other companies to go to workplaces and do corporate firings. He travels thousands of miles and hundreds of days out of the year, across the country to meet with people personally to fire them so their bosses don’t have to. He has perfected the art of air travel and the art of firing people and making them like…almost. Kendrick’s character comes in fresh out of graduate school with plans on re-vamping this ancient company and moving them into the new decade. So Clooney is burdened with the chore of taking Kendrick around the country a a slew or corporate axings, showing her the ropes. On their trip he finds greater purpose in life and she discovers new elements to her life.




The almost bubbly awakening to this movie is deeply overshadowed by the element of despair as the film is deeply entrenched in today’s economic crisis. Clooney is the enemy and friend, the hermit in the midst of crowds trying to live apart from people while trying to guide them through the last few moments of their abruptly ended careers. The film is very funny, and has a lot of nice happy moments. And then Reitman brings us back to reality as we are put face to face with people who have come to the edge in their work.



The use of realistic interviews to really pound at the heart’s of his viewers, and then minutes later a grim wit puts a smile back on our faces. Up In The Air is fantastic, and while I wasn’t blown away this film is an easy 8 out of 10 stars. Great scripting, sharp witted dialogue, and a smooth moving plot with a good message make this film well worth watching.

Sex/Nudity – 7 out of 10 - A man and a woman go to eachother’s hotel rooms a few time so have sex. We see a woman in one scene completely nude from the back as she walks across a room to lay on a bed, we get a glimpse of her brest as she turns to the side. A man and woman talk about the different pieces of furniture they made love on, she is nude lying on a bed (we see her bare shoulders) he is presumably nude (we see his bare chest).

Violence/Gore - none

Profanity – 7 out of 10 – 20 or so “F” words, and maybe 20 more other swear words including religious exclamations, the “S” word, “A” word and the like.