Up in the Air 2009 (Movie Review)

Dir: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Dur: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Drama
Rating: 2.5/5
PG: Foul language used occasionaly. A few romantic scenes. A partially nude scene.

The concept of the film is a bit abstract and strange. It takes quite a bit of time to make some sense of what exactly is going on. One thing is clear: this is a story about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) whose job is to travel all over America and off-load staff from firms and companies on behalf of the management. His job forces him to constantly remain on the move. Since his destinations are far from one another, he uses the air to travel and hence the name of the film Up in the Air.

Ryan‘s job makes it difficult for him to settle down and have a family. Besides, he has grown so accustomed to his lifestyle that when a change is suggested by an enterprising young recruit, Natalie (Anna Kendrick) and is taken up by the company, he rebels. His boss thinks it best for the two to travel together, so that Natalie can have first-hand experience of the nature of the job she is trying to revolutionize. Their journey together leads them both on to paths of self-discovery. Both come away different persons.


The film does not give a good message from the morality point of view. It does however, give a glimpse of the challenges people face and is particularly forceful on the importance of maintaining family ties. Aerial shots of a number of cities in America add gloss to the film but the absence of background music is somewhat disconcerting. The film doesn’t have much to offer except for good performances by the lead actors. 

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