Two thumbs "Up in the Air"
Alx George
The Commuter
Jason Reitman (director of “Juno”) has us laughing again with his newest release, “Up in the Air.” The film is a gender-neutral, light-hearted, only slightly romantic comedy, and its creative plot glides through the turbulence that Ryan (George Clooney) and Natalie (Anna Kendrick) experience on the job as downsizing experts. To complement thought-provoking insights, Reitman incorporates well-placed comic scenes and subtle recurring jokes.
The movie lifts off by introducing us to Ryan, head of a downsizing corporation, who almost immediately meets Alex (Vera Farminga), an attractive frequent flyer like himself. After discovering how much they have in common, the two catch different planes and Ryan meets Natalie (his not-so-lovely coworker), who has the nerve and ambition to revamp the corporation by “letting people go” via webcam. Ryan feels it’s his duty to help Natalie see “the light”: there are some things that just shouldn’t be done over a phone or a computer. While Ryan metaphorically beats Natalie’s head against a computer screen, Natalie protests Ryan’s chosen isolated lifestyle and Alex attempts to seduce Ryan from the sidelines.
This movie was definitely worth watching - if not in theaters, then at least on DVD. There are some interesting twists, quite a few laughs, not to mention plenty of I-told-you-so moments.
