Up in the Air

Up in the Air
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman
Directed/Writen by: Jason Reitman
Rating: A-

Up in the Air tells the story of a man who spends his life traveling around the country firing people for companies who don't have the backbone to do it themselves. Sounds cynical, well yeah it really is. The whole concept of this movie could leave you depressed, but writer/director Jason Reitman gives plenty of laughs through it. By the end the movie really left me heart broken, but I looked back on all the incredibly funny lines and I had to leave this movie with a smile on my face. Anna Kendrick shows incredible whit as Clooney's apprentice during the movie and really lets you look back on the movie and say, "yeah she was incredible". The academy would agree with you on that one because they gave her an academy award nomination. At the beginning you look at Clooney's character as just a person completely separated from "real life", but by the end you look at him like anyone else you ever know who goes through everything a person can. Some critics tried to say that his performance wasn't valid because he was basically playing himself. I want those critics to try and get on set and give that performance. The day that any of them can show the depth that Clooney showed in this movie, going from someone who loves his job to someone who wonders why he is doing this in the first place, is the day they should be able to criticize his performance. From a person who cares nothing about his family, to someone who wants everything to do with them. From a person who has never had the moment, "Where you stare into someone's eye's and you feel them staring into your soul, and the whole world goes quiet just for a second", which ends up in my mind being the defining quote of the movie, to a person who trusts his heart and ends up hurting because of it. George Clooney gives the performance almost any other actor could only dream of giving and people want to discredit him for it because his character was like him in real life. I'm sorry that you are jealous that he made it and you didn't so now you have to write about him for a newspaper, get over it and give him credit.

Up in the Air is everything it is advertised to be. Nominated for 6 academy awards, and deserving of all of them, this film is definitely one of the best of the year and one of my favorites. Clooney, Kendrick, and Farmiga all give outstanding performances and deserve their academy nominations. Along with great little bits of people getting fired, headlined by Alan from "The Hangover" and J.K. Simmons who also worked in Reitman's film "Juno". It was brilliant to also put people who had actually been fired from their real jobs as stand-ins in the scenes where people are let go. I guarantee you will enjoy this film. Through the funny and depressing you will love the performances by the actors and the writing of Reitman, and leave this film satisfied. Loved this movie and I hope my readers feel the same way.