Jason Reitman was still in his first decade of feature filmmaking with Up in the Air, and he slyly filled the cast with people who had been laid off in a similar fashion to those in the film. Reitman said the film, co-written with Sheldon Turner, was really about making the choice to be alone or not and it's that choice that bedevils the lead character of Ryan. His life of flying all around the country on a constant mission is one that must be done in solitude. But if he changes his mind, those 10 million miles will seem like nothing more than a wasted life.
The film was a hit and garnered multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Reitman and Best Actor for Clooney. It also garnered two Best Supporting Actress nominations for Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga. Kendrick plays the young executive tasked with accompanying Clooney on his trips to learn more about the process firsthand before letting technology take over, where people get canned via video-conferencing, which would mean no more flying for Clooney. Farmiga plays Alex, another frequent flier who starts up a casual relationship with Clooney and provides him a fleeting sense of relationship during his travels. Whether he will commit to her and a life on the ground is, of course, up in the air.
As well as being a critical and awards hit, Up in the Air was also a box office hit. This might seem unlikely at first, that a drama/comedy about a middle-aged man building up frequent flier miles might be of interest to the moviegoing public at large, but in retrospect, there's no mystery at all to its success. Though based on a 2001 novel of the same name written by Walter Kirn, it wasn't made into a film and released until 2009. At that point, America and the rest of the world were in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression and millions of Americans knew exactly what it was like getting unceremoniously laid off. This was a movie that spoke to them and to the slim hope that maybe there was more to the story. That maybe soon, they may get back up again. Mainly, it provided a catharsis.
Years later, Up in the Air still works because Reitman was smart enough to make it more about being alone than being laid off. More about building and hoping than crushing and despairing. It could have been a tepid tale of a corporate puppet going for gold. Instead, it's a story about anyone who ever had to choose between two lives: the one you want to lead and the one you want to lead with someone else.
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Produced by Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman
Cast: George Clooney (Ryan Bingham), Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran), Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener), Jason Bateman (Craig Gregory), Amy Morton (Kara Bingham), Melanie Lynskey (Julie Bingham), J.K. Simmons (Bob), Sam Elliott (Maynard Finch), Danny McBride (Miller), Zach Galifianakis (Steve),Chris Lowell (Kevin)
Music by Rolfe Kent
Cinematography by Eric Steelberg
Film Editing by Dana E. Glauberman
Casting By Mindy Marin
Production Design by Steve Saklad
Art Direction by Andrew Max Cahn
Set Decoration by Linda Lee Sutton
Costume Design by Danny Glicker
By Greg Ferrara
