Last week I went to see Up in the Air, George Clooney's new film. The story revolves around the life (or lack there of) of a man, Ryan Bingham, who is hired to fly back and forth across the US in order to fire employees for company bosses who don't have the courage to do it themselves. Bingham enjoys his secluded life, viewing the cold and clinical airports as his home and the nameless people around him as his companions. At one particular airport he meets Alex Goran, a fellow traveller who shares Bingham's view of life in the air, and they instantly strike up a relationship, meeting at different airports across the country where their paths cross.
However, it is with the introduction of young Natalie Keener at Bingham's company where his world is turned upside down. With Keener's new 'Glocal' plan, their will be no call for Bingham to continue his jet set lifestyle, instead remaining at the office and firing people in a video call format. Much to Bingham's annoyance he is told to take Keener along with him to some of his clients so that she can learn his process and perfect her new idea by watching the main man in action.
It is through this journey that Keener, Bingham and Goran get to know one another and find out how their lives led to this point. Bingham soon realises that whilst he has been 'up in the air', his sisters have continued to live their lives and finally lost faith in him. As he comes to terms with this during his sister's wedding he begins to realise what he has been missing whilst on his quest for the ultimate in air miles.
Up in the Air is one of those thought provoking films that is definitely worth watching, making you really think about your own life and what is important to you. However it has to be said that it is definitely not a date movie and will certainly leave you feeling a little low. Without Clooney in the main role, I think this film would have been less of a success and was definitely improved by his cinematic presence. The surprise for me in this film was the capability of Anna Kendrick, who I was only aware of through her portrayal of Jessica in the twilight adaptations. She gets a lot more screen time in this film and even showcases her ability for comedic timing, which provides a lot of the humour when used to question Bingham's lifestyle.
Overall this film is one to watch, but probably isn't one to add to the DVD collection.
For more information about the film go to the official website:
http://www.theupintheairmovie.com/
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*Coming soon - An Evening with Sophie Kinsella*
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