Review of Up in the Air (2009) by Derek T — 09 Dec 2012

I watched Up In The Air for the first time in three years recently, and I was not disappointed. Jason Reitman has managed to weave a number of complex elements together: a parable about the economic crisis; a love story; the metaphor of air travel for life; an essentially unlikeable protagonist; and even a wedding in the midst of it all.

There's a feeling (perhaps enhanced by Clooney's presence) that Air derives its pacing and sensibility as much from 1940s screwball comedies as by its contemporary comedic brethren, but that only enhances the timelessness of the film.

Farmiga and Kendrick deliver great performances, but it is Clooney's disaffected nuance that brings the film together. I get the sense, however, that Clooney wouldn't have been able to do it without Reitman, who has shown a sensibility for making potentially unlikeable protagonists ultimately redeemable (as he does in all of his films).

Throw in a number of entertaining cameos, a few laugh-out-loud scenes, and even a few poignant moments, and Up In The Air remains one of the top films of its oeuvre and of its time.