At least the movie was good

Well it is 2010.

It is a New Year and new decade but not much of a new me. The year didn’t start well and I think that will sadly continue for the rest of the year, for me at least. I started off the New Year in a dress. To those that know me that is a shocker but I decided I would get myself all gussied up to bring in the New Year. Got myself all clean, did my hair, and put on a dress, then unceremoniously plopped myself in front of the TV. I did have some canapés, chips, and wine to keep me company as I flipped channels. It was a combination of New Years shows, movies, and MuchMoreMusic’s “Retro Dance Party”. They do say how you spend your New Years will determine how you spend the rest of your year. So apparently I will be alone, eating pseudo food, listening to awesome music, in a dress. That’s kinda sad.

But on Saturday my movie watching year started off well. I was so pleased. I finally got to see Up in the Air and all the critics were right for once. I waited a long time to watch this movie cuz it was only in limited release and I kept being bombarded with ads that tell me how great the movie is, how may awards it’s nominated for, and how many it has won. And that just raises my expectations and usually leads to disappointment but not with this.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) travels a lot. He flies all over the US firing people for companies that can’t manage to do it themselves or as he puts it “pussies”. He is happiest when he is on the road. He loves the order, the procedure, and all the point/gold statuses/airmiles he is raking up. One day he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga) in a hotel lounge. She has the same fondness for points cards as he does and this strange turn-on starts them into a “relationship”. He gets a call from his boss (Jason Bateman) calling him home for some big news. When he gets there he is told he is being grounded because of the ideas of Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). She is fresh out of university with radical ideas and is eager to please. She is ruining his life.

I don’t know what to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said by all the other bloggers and reviewer and on posters and in trailers. People with money who get paid to do the reviews always have a leg up on me. This is one of the few times where I can say go ahead a believe them. Jason Reitman masterfully directs Up in the Air. There is a balance of artistic imagery, portraits of his characters, and story telling that never gets pretentious or boring. The images that he captures keeps you interested and you can’t take your eyes off the screen. The movie is a true dramedy a total balance between drama and comedy. There are light, fun moments and harsh, shocking points but they are all realistic and none feel forced or impossible.

George Clooney. What can I say about his performance? He was simply phenomenal. Ryan Bingham was a blend of suave, cynical, driven, and lost. My friend mentioned after the movie that if he was asked “who is your favourite actor?” he would never have picked George Clooney. And I had to agree with him for some reason he never pops into my mind as a “great actor” and I am not sure why. His body of work, especially in recent years, has been simply fantastic. Movies like Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, and The Fantastic Mr Fox show his ability to portrait interesting complex characters. And even his not critically acclaimed movies like Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels are still enjoyable. All his roles show how versatile he really is.

The supporting cast was also great. Vera Farmiga played Alex Goran with an excellent balance of sensuality and sweetness. She was light and fun and she seemed like the kind of person that women want to be and men want to have. Anna Kendrick does a great job as Natalie. Even though on the surface she is stoic and driven, it is slowly chipped away by the reality in front of her allowing her emotions to reveal themselves and show her naivety. Even though Jason Batemans role in the film is small it is important. He plays Craig Gregory as the boss that is about business not about people to a tee. There are also poignant cameos by J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, and Danny McBride that are so heartfelt and true.

I wholeheartedly recommend watching Up in the Air. Even though most of the movie is talk there are many images that need to be seen on the big screen. It is totally worth it.

Tra