In Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air,”
George Clooney makes a professional firer absolutely likeable. Clooney’s
character Ryan Bingham, crosses the country weekly to pink slip employees for
weak kneed bosses. His main joy in life is in the serenity of not knowing
anyone he spends his days traveling with; he’s really jazzed about snagging
Frequent Flyer miles and flirting with fellow travelers of the fairer sex.
Yet he’s imminently likeable. But then
again, he’s the Clooney.
I’m pretty sure everyone loves George
Clooney. With his connections to Italy, Rosemary Clooney, Brad Pitt, and
general movie stardom, Clooney covers all sorts of demographics. Even a bad
movie would be made redeemable if it starred the Clooney.
That said, “Up in the Air” is not a bad
movie. In fact, it’s frequently funny and entertaining. Clooney supplies much
of his trademark zing, and is ably supported by Anna Kendrick as an uptight
upstart and Vera Farmiga as a business woman who catches Bingham’s eye.
Kendrick completely holds her own, and has
much presence in her scenes with Clooney.
The best sequence of the movie involves
Clooney, Kendrick, and Farmiga’s characters crashing a convention party. (A lot
of the humor in “Up in the Air” is better for people who have been to
conventions. It often divinely captures the ridiculousness of
convention-tedium.) The second best has to be a touching family wedding.
Overall, “Up in the Air” pretty much
lives up to its Oscar-season buzz. The end feels a little loose, but the
performances more than make up for any ambiguity.
Go see it. The Clooney wants you to.
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