REVIEW: Clooney Shines ‘Up in the Air’
by Carl KozlowskiAll your life, you’ve heard about the American Dream: find a wife or husband, pop out some kids, buy a house with a white picket fence and live happily ever after in the cozy embrace of suburbia.
But what if that cozy embrace wasn’t there anymore? Take a look around you at the news and official statistics, and it’s clear that America and its attendant “Dream” is in a heap of trouble. What if you did all that hard work, only to see it swept away by a devastating layoff? How would you handle it?
In his new film “Up in the Air,” George Clooney delivers perhaps the most well-rounded performance of his career while finding rays of hope and humor in the economic darkness of our present times. As Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing specialist, he flies around the country helping administer mass layoffs for companies too scared to handle such situations themselves.
Ryan has the patter of a concerned friend down to a T, calmly guiding people through the devastating moments of hearing they’ve lost their job by discussing their severance packages, giving them a pep talk and then providing them their final proverbial shove out the door with a kind smile and perhaps a pat on the back thrown in for effect. But his own personal life is nearly bereft of such touches, or connections of any kind – he’s on the fly over 300 days a year and wishes he could make it 365. If a woman’s around to seduce from time to time, Ryan will engage in some fun but meaningless sport sex and move on.
Then suddenly, Ryan finds himself surrounded by two women who won’t conveniently fade away – one, Natalie, played by Anna Kendrick (“Twilight”) is a 23-year-old go-getter who wants the company to fire people via teleconferencing, which would make Ryan a dinosaur. So he convinces their boss Craig (the ubiquitous Jason Bateman) to let him take Natalie on the road and show her just how psychologically complex and morally necessary his hands-on approach is to maintaining people’s sanity.
At the same time, Ryan is getting hands-on experience after-hours with Alex (Vera Farmiga), a woman whom he first connects with as a one-night stand but then feels it went so well that he feels strangely drawn to maintaining contact with her. Alex seems to be his perfect match: tough-minded, independent, fast-moving and always on the go – in fact, she makes it perfectly clear from day one that she’s fine with just a casual relationship.
But as the pair keeps crossing paths, and Ryan is also facing the decision of attending his sister’s wedding and seeing the importance Natalie places on her attachment to her boyfriend and the fatherly concern he’s grown for her, he wonders for the first time if maybe the grass is greener on the other side. Should he lay himself out emotionally as well as physically, and finally find the gumption to take the plunge into the alleged American dream? Or should he keep on flying into the anonymity of the skies, remaining an island unto himself?
“Up in the Air” presents some of life’s most pressing, everyday questions as a middle-aged man’s finally-coming-of-age story. As co-scripted (with Sheldon Turner) and directed by Jason Reitman (“Thank You for Smoking,” “Juno”), the film expands upon Walter Kirn’s source novel in brilliant fashion: while the novel is focused on the entire world through Ryan’s eyes, Reitman invented the two female lead characters from scratch and guided them to powerhouse performances as the flip sides of each other’s life experience and personalities – Natalie is a younger Alex, and if she doesn’t watch out, Alex is Natalie in 20 years.
Reitman also fills the screen with a surreal sense of dislocation. Ryan travels constantly, but rarely actually goes anywhere. For him, life is a blur of airplanes, airports and luxury hotels; only when his sister asks him to photograph some of the landmarks of his travel destinations as a wedding gift does he finally open his eyes and actually see the sights, colors and humanity around him. In the film’s most beautiful and affecting segment, Ryan takes Alex back to his long-forgotten hometown with him for the wedding, and the duo’s chemistry as two seemingly lost souls finally found warms the screen.
And yet, there remains an underlying sadness throughout. Just because you might want to change your life doesn’t mean that God, fate or the universe will let you. But in making viewers care deeply about the characters and their interactions, “Up in the Air” helps illuminate which direction each of our lives is going in, and how our choices and patterns affect our final destinations.
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83 Comments
Sounds interesting, but I don't spend money George Clooney movies anymore.
Clooney's on my boycott list. F*** him
George Clooney will need to get his relatives to see his movies several times, because my wife, and I will not put another dime in this creeps pocket, boycott.
I will never watch another thing he has or will be in.
I'm sure I'm depriving myself of some quality art (sarc off), but I refuse
George Clooney is the best looking liberal dirt bag that I've ever laid eyes on.
Agreed, I don't care how purty he is. He and Brad Pitt both use to be my hunks to watch no matter what they were in but not anymore.
Italy has their new commie in the fold. Sell it to them. No sale for us patriots.
When it comes to George Looney I Tune-EE Out.
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Clooney's boycotted at our house.
Maybe it's the makeup but Clooney is not aging well at all. I'll keep praying for his redemption just because i liked his aunt.
Wouldn't cross the street to watch Clooney if it was for free.
It might be worth $1 rental at the Redbox in a couple of months. But that's all.
I saw "Fantastic Mr. Fox" over the weekend…voice-overs are the maximum exposure I can stand from Clooney and Streep.
Hey, Carl, this is Big Hollywood. I expect some indication of the Nolte-coined term "the liberal tell" in your review. Do we have a pedophile priest? A car salesman who's a Republican and also a wife batterer? A scene where President Bush is seen on the television while laid-off workers file out the door? Do tell, please. If Clooney is in a movie where there's no anti-capitalist, anti-Christian, anti-American theme going on, I would be amazed.
Not seeing this movie. The review didn't cover the important things that I need to know.
Any thing with Clooney involved is an automatic NO in this house. No voice overs no role would induce us to spend one cent on a Clooney project any time any where.
Hilton is plugging this movie like nobody's business and the trailer is so depressing. I'm on the road 3-4 days a week and a Hilton guy, so I have seen the trailer about a million times and it hits waaaay too close to home.
One thing I can say, I read the book jacket, and if this guy's supposedly on the road 322 nights a year and hasn't hit a million frequent flier miles yet he's doing something wrong.
I don't even enjoy cartoons with celeb voice overs anymore. For all their talk about fairness, how many ugly people with great voices have been put out of film work because of big names taking the speaking roles?
I used to travel 80% of the time; mostly east-coast, but often enough mid-west and west coast. The weird thing about this movie theme is that I miss traveling – that's not to say I want to fly +300 days each year (with much-better-half + 2 kids, that wouldn't work for me), but I do miss being on the road. I used to look forward to a lot of the perks the movie seems to mock (or at least down play).
Maybe in a future career track I can get some of that back.
[...] Hollywood has a rave for “Up in the Air,” which I’m seeing tomorrow and am looking forward to. (The [...]
I can't and won't watch Clooney, not even for free…
But he sounds typecast, isn't his real life much like this? Hollow, shallow, empty and meaningless?
…last movie I saw was Star Trek. That would be the L-A-S-T!!
I've also not seen "ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, ETC" on my tv screen for a year now maybe? And it would be that way from now on…
PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS. So "they" say, so I am…
Boycott Hollywood.
Interesting.I like most of the folks hear think Clooney is an idiot who uses his films for liberal drivel.I also think he isn't a very good actor.I look at him as Clooney playing Clooney.The interesting part is when Jason Reitman was mentioned as director.I just watched Thank You for Smoking on cable.I didn't bother seeing it in the theatre because I figured it would be a one way liberal diatribe.I expected to watch ten minutes and turn it off but it turned out to be a great movie that was more libertarian than anything else and it was very funny to boot.The movie took shots at everybody including the press.I still won't pay money for a Clooney movie but I will try to catch it in a year or so because Reitman is involved.
Sounds OK, can't bring myself to pay to see Clooney though.
No Clooney, no Depp, no Penn, no Damon, to name a few male actors. What they say in the real world makes a difference. For film watching "suspension of disbelief," they are a bridge too far.
I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. And I'm sure ain't going to spend my hard earned $$ on his movie.
I liked this movie better when it was called Thank You For Smoking.
Clooney?
Wasn't he an actor once…?
George Clooney is getting a bit long in the tooth. Speaking of which, his are yellow.
Someone outta tell him.
When I read the part of a 23 year old going on the road with him (an old guy) I suspected he was going to have a one night affair. I was surprised that it didn't happen. Did Hollywood change? : )
"Cheers" did this 20 or so years ago, with Norm becoming a corporate hitman. It was hilarious and heartfelt and over in 22 satisfying minutes.
Sounds great. Too bad George Clooney won't get another single solitary dime from me. Perhaps a free download someday though.
Yeah. At this point he's not even acting.
Absolutely, positively, unequivocally NO to seeing any movie with Clooney. The man epitomizes smugness and arrogance and no role can transcend that. His presence ruined the couple of movies I have seen with him in it and that was before I disliked him so much. Wooden, un-charismatic, boring. He's a manufactured 'star'.
Why on God's green Earth would anyone watch a George Clooney movie?
Clooney has worn out his welcome. He visits Obama and has his political agenda which means half of his audience won't give him a penny. He's an "actor" nothing more nothing less.
if it says clooney, baldwin, mmoore, fey, streisand, damon, affleck – I save my money
Might be worth watching when I get a free Starz or HBO weekend, or somethin'.
Sounds cool, but . . .no thank you. I skipped Leatherheads despite it having my two biggest loves (History and Football) and the cute guy from The Office. If I can skip that, I'll skip anything with George Clooney in it.
And he's not that hot, ladies. I honestly do not understand the appeal.
*MissQuinn*
Clooney is just one of the now many Hollywood royalty – second generation with connections who beat out real talent, pushing poltically-motivated stereotypes thru tedious, arrogant movies the Hollywood clique of spoiled brats favors.
"Clooney" in one name sums up everything that's wrong with Hollywood.
One bright spot, we are foregoing movies for live theatre and live sports (local leagues) and other live events. Real actors, real sports players, talent – not fakes.
Okay, after a quick survey of comments to this post, allow me to take a contrarian stance. If fact, allow me to double down.
Recently, on TCM’s essential, that Baldwin guy (Alec, not Stephen) recently reviewed 1959’s Ben Hur with the always reliable Robert Osborne. Baldwin surprised me by making it abundantly clear that he can divorce his political views when appreciating a screen performance. He then proceeded to praise Charlton Heston, along with Stephen Boyd and William Wyler.
To say the least, I was stunned, pleasantly so, by this.
While I may not concur with Baldwin’s or Clooney’s politics ( I am a true BigHollywood kind of guy), I can look past politics to appreciate a good movie, particularly when there is a dearth of watchable films like those released this year.
So when I plop down my hard-earned bucks for Up in the Air</>, I am doing it to see what I hope will be a good movie.
I don't trust him. He's a sucker-puncher.
But he always looks scuzzy, like maybe he could use a shampoo and a shower. It worked on "Oh, Brother…" but in the other films, NOT.
I'm a bit flummoxed at all the films George C. Looney lands a role in.
And you can add Olberman to the list of left wing punks that I won't watch. Haven't watched Sunday NIght Football in American pre-game since inception.
I did too.
And honestly, despite being a well-made animated film, I felt bad paying money to a movie that had contribution from someone who insulted Charlton Heston and everyone who has Alzheimer's Disease.
At I can say I'll never see a film where his face appears in theaters!
Nope. He has been known to pose as one though.
Ditto.
There is politics and then there is a-hole politics. It's the difference between Jay Leno and David Letterman. Is Leno to the left, sure he is. Is he a bitter humorlous no-nothing thinking he is superior to everyone else, no.
I have no problem with Tom Hanks, who supported Obama, and went to the inauguration, and basically admitted his vote was based on skin color. Or Stephen Speilberg, another out liberal who supports liberal causes. That's politics, they are free to believe what they want and I would never hold it against them.
But the Baldwins/Clooney/Penns are pukes.
Crap, this movie sounds good. It is the kind of movie I like to watch – I adore Reitman, "Thank You For Not Smoking" is one of my favorite movies…yet there is no way I will watch a movie with Clooney in it, so I will have to give it a pass. You see that is what happens when an actor p*sses off the public. We don't go.
Yep, just cuz I like looking at him doesn't mean I'll spend money to do it. Same with Brad Pitt.
I'm boycotting too, wouldn't watch Clooney if you paid me.
I wouldn't even watch him in a free download. Clooney overrides any character he tries to play on the screen and when an actor does that I draw the line. Why waste my time when all I can think about while the movie is on, is the actor and not the character?
no clooney! the closest i get to a clooney in me house is his aunt in White Christmas. And the name is marked out in black (my fav, sharpie)!
Clooney is an idiot in real life. I think he is a good actor though in most of his movies. He is still a douche bag though and needs to keep his fat mouth shut when the camera goes off.
Might be a good movie, but Clooney has lost me for good. I´m not a guy who proclaims one man boycotts at the drop of a hat (like some do) but Clooney, Penn, Damon, Sarandon and Robbins are persona non grata at la casa de Gordo.
I don't want to be rude, but that movie sounds mind numbingly boring. If I wanted to be involved in that, I would go back to work, hop on a plane and listen to some dud (for free) tell me that he spends 300 days on the road and is troubled that he still does not feel like a man even though he is 50.
It is the reason I bought noise canceling headphones and then one of the reasons I no longer draw a paycheck. I would now pay to hear it?
No.
Susan sarandon and tim robbins are others to add to that list.
Clooney is just another worthless, self-important, anti-American, Hollywood elitest They spew their venom to the world while praising themselves and giving each other endless awards so they won't feel guilty for participating in their deviant lifestyles. They preach "tolerance" but they are not satisfied with tolerance, THEY WANT FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR SICK LIFESTYLES AND MENTAL ILLNESSES. In reality, they act the part of heroes while they surrounding themselves with adoring, WEAK MINDED WORSHIPERS WHO WILL NEVER TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
Why is Obama Surrounding Himself With Gays?
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=obamagay
Corruption in Congress…
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=corruptcongre...
Didn't get the Clooney craze when he was on ER; still don't. This movie does look interesting, but I'm on a budget.
I do not 'boycott' just any actor who is political. BUT when their political life interferes with my enjoyment of their work, when all I can see on the screen is the actor, not the character, I will not spend my hard earned money or my scarce leisure time on that actor. When there is "when there is a dearth of watchable films" I do other things. I love a good book!
I'm not enough of a zealot that I can completely avoid all of Clooney's films, but I do detest him enough to only catch them on HBO, or Cinemax &c. Some of his films are actually enjoyable, despite the fact that he's a world-class knot-head.
Which reminds me of something I've never understood about actors: How can they play noble roles and not be affected by them in a positive way? Perplexing.
I'm with you, Marc. After all the hullabaloo over on the "Twilight/NewMoon" boards, it's the same old same old here. All of my ticket price is not going into Clooney's pocket … I am a fan of both Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga … and with all the other crap out there (Transformers, anyone?) I'm happy just to see a movie that has decent adult dialogue.
The only actor I will out and out boycott is Jane Fonda.
I hope Clooney checks out Big Hollywood once in a while..Maybe his will understand why he is not the popular boy anymore! MAKE MOVIES! Stop with the leftist political crap!!!
The same way they can cry in a scene and then laugh the minute the director calls "Cut!" It's all an act…
hop on a plane and listen to some dud (for free) tell me that he spends 300 days on the road and is troubled that he still does not feel like a man even though he is 50.
Hey now, I'm not 50. yet.
[...] to himself, which was nice. He is also in Up in the Air, which Big Hollywood’s Carl Kozlowski liked and which I’ll therefore give a shot. The same guy who directed the annoying but not completely [...]
"America can't beat anyone anymore." George Clooney
"We pick on people we can beat." George Clooney
Of course this last quote probably doesn't apply to Bush and Co.:
"The only failure is not to try." George Clooney
Using the logic of everyone here regarding boycotting actors or musicians because of their political beliefs, I wonder:
Do you cut all ties with friends and family who don't share the same beliefs you do? It stands to reason you would if you're that adamant about your political affiliations.
Clooney shines?
I wouldn't let him shine my shoes.
Hmmm. My hatred for Clooney vs my love for Walter Kirn. Hmmmm.
After you plop it down, you will be sorry you did.
Glad George has a good one. I was always hoping he would simply act and act well.
Very underwhelming chick flick. Pure overwrought sympathy mining for an aloof unappealing character played by a smug, unsympathetic, shallow actor. Saw it for free. Clooney will never get my money again either. Not worth anyone's time, and anytime they start screaming for Oscars for Clooney, you know it's going to be worthless. Save yourselves, and use the two hours to clean out your closet or something.
And he's not that good at posing as one
BECAUSE THERE"S NONE OF THAT IN IT.
Get a clue, people. If you don't support the Hollywood people when they 'get one right,' then how do you ever expect anything to change? This is a beautiful film that shows the importance of family and real human connections and no, can't see it, it's Clooney! Damon i understand, Oliver Stone I understand, but seriously other than "Syriana" what did CLooney do so bad? Oh he did a film about McCarthyism. Horrible. Compared to so many others in Hollywood of both stripes politically, his films are always well-made, usually entertaining and don't always trash America. "intolerable cruelty," "o brother" are two of many that had nothing to do with politicss and neither does this one. People like you make it embarrassing to be a conservative and are the reason HOllywood continues not to give a damn. You wouldn't help Clooney if he did a perfect picture about Lincoln. So why should he listen to YOU?
Please enlighten me how he became the ultimate devil for so many of you people?
Other than "Syriana" or maybe "Good Night and Good Luck," what else is so awful? The thoroughly non-political heist trilogy "Oceans", the simply ridiculously funny "Intolerable Cruelty," "O Brother" and "Burn After Reading" (oh it lampoons Washington people! OMG!!!!!!!)? Not everyhting he does is political, even most of it isn't. I respect him for puling together the big fundraiser after 9/11. Where was anyone from "our" side of the fence? All we did was have O'Reilly bitch at him for rasing a billion dollars and not having the total infrastructure set up to handle it immediately. So what should he have done there – waited to build a charity and infrastructure, and THEN try to raise money after the tragedy slipped out of immediate consciousness?
If someone makes a good movie with a good message, SUPPORT the movie so that they'll keep making more of those. Staying home from good stuff enables the bad to become a hit by comparison.
Get a life.
Honestly Carl. Its not as if we are talking about a guy who keeps his politics under wraps. The guy is a heel (see his Heston comment). I'm not one to generally boycott actors because of their political views (I'm afraid of never watching another movie) but I don't fault those who do. As far as supporting the good movies so Hollywood will make more, I think you will find (as Nolte has REPEATEDLY pointed out) that Hollywood cares less about what is successful and more about an agenda (see the laundry list of anti-war failures in the last couple of years). If they wanted success and only that they would abandon many of the story lines that are constant failures at the Box Office. So don't jump on the people who refuse to give money to the Hollywood who disregards their values, even if they occasionally throw a bone to middle America. People are just tired of it.
WALL-E is #71 on the all time grossing movies for US Box Office. That is the first movie on the list that could safely be said to have a liberal message. The Day After Tomorrow comes in at 103. I'm sure there are other movies that have liberal tones in there but look at the list. Most of them are family films (including WALL-E) and many have an outright pro-America, or pro-family, or pro-conservative values message. These are the films that make money. America doesn't stiff these movies. Can you honestly say that Hollywood looks at these results and responds accordingly?
[...] Carl Kozlowski at Big Hollywood: In his new film “Up in the Air,” George Clooney delivers perhaps the most well-rounded performance of his career while finding rays of hope and humor in the economic darkness of our present times. As Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing specialist, he flies around the country helping administer mass layoffs for companies too scared to handle such situations themselves. [...]
whats with you conservative morons, its a freaking movie, you think george clooney or jason reitman care if you dont like his politics, doesnt mean you wont like the movie, i saw it today, it actually is a movie that any human being would appreciate, its heartbreaking at times and real and wether you like someones politics stops you from watching a movie shows your intelligence, i bet you would vote for w again if he ran wouldnt you….
Another anti-American film from Hollywood. Gee, life sure must be tough to be a multi-millionaire in the US these days. Imagine to have to live with us unwashed masses.
Ummm…they are actors, not family and friends. Maybe you need to get out more
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