What Do The Critics Say?

"An ideal bittersweet adult comedy sleekly directed by Jason Reitman about life during recession. Clooney achieves an emotional level that breaks new ground for him." Thelma Adams US WEEKLY "What could be more perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist at the end of the '00s as a movie about a guy who's job it is to fire people? The best movie of 2009." Stephen Silver THE TREND "From taxi to touchdown, Reitman knows how to get us to the next destination." sa Kennedy DENVER POST "Clooney has found a role he fits into so comfortably, that he might be mix his post-Oscar cocktail with two one-ounce bottles of Grey Goose." Mike Ward RICHMOND.COM "A perfect end to the 1st decade of the 21st century. Tech advances have created hermits of us all, heads bent over smartphones and screens, blue-toothed in the face. We, too, are cushioned in clouds; all somewhat up in the air." Kimberly Gadette INDIE MOVIES ONLINE

"A solid adult comedy-drama, with lead characters sturdy enough to have been played by Cary Grant and Bette Davis in another era, and actors confident and talented enough not to be humiliated by the comparison." John Beifuss COMMERCIAL APPEAL "Up In The Air is engaging, by turns witty and serious, unpredictable and surprisingly moving. Definitely recommended." Mark Demetrius FILMINK "The pitch-perfect direction by Jason Reitman perfectly balances comedy and drama." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "I think that this is a classic in the making." A.O.Scott AT THE MOVIES "Now arriving at the main terminal is the movie of the year." Joe Williams ST LOUIS POST-DESPATCH "So elegantly conceived and effortlessly accomplished in every department that Reitman deserves to be regarded as one of the best in the business right now." Leigh Paatsch HERALD SUN

The Inside Story In his first two feature films, Jason Reitman established a distinctive talent for taking provocative anti-heroes (a tobacco lobbyist in "Thank You for Smoking" and a pregnant teenager in the Oscar ® winning "Juno") and telling deeply human, funny and appealing stories in which these tricky characters defy expectations. He continues in this vein with the well-timed tale of Ryan Bingham, who, on the surface has a rather disagreeable job: he fires people when corporations downsize. And yet, Ryan’s story is also about a man who is instantly, poignantly recognizable; a charming, decent man who has enthusiastically embraced our world of speed, technology, comfort, individual ambition and material perks; a man who leads a smooth, enjoyable life; a man who has it all and yet, finds something vital is missing. His tale raises intriguing questions: in an age of global travel and machine-mediated conversations, how do we get to the real, lasting connections that once sustained American communities? And what happens when we avoid them? Those questions lie at the heart of the screenplay for "Up in the Air" which, after an earlier draft by Sheldon Turner ("The Longest Yard"), Reitman ("In God We Trust") took in a new direction tapping into how Ryan Bingham’s story reflects how we live now, in an intersecting moment of technological advances and communication breakdowns. "I saw it as a story about a guy who has to deal with the fact that, even though he thinks his life is complete, he’s been ignoring something very important, which is the responsibility to be part of something larger," says 2009 NBR Award winner Reitman ("Up In The Air"). "Ryan Bingham is so scared off by the burdens of joining a community that he’s been missing out on the value of that. It’s something I think we’re exploring as a society right now. We’re all using our cell phones and twittering and texting and it seems as if we are more connected than ever – while, in reality, people don’t look each other in the eye much anymore, and we have fewer real relationships. Ryan’s life in airports is a metaphor for that." Reitman’s inspiration for Up in the Air began with the novel by author Walter Kirn ("Thumbsucker"), which Reitman used as a jumping off point for a screenplay that evolved into its own journey. "The book spoke to me on multiple levels," says Reitman. "I love Walter’s language which I used a lot. But as I was writing, my own life changed. I met my wife, fell in love and had a child. And in that process, Ryan Bingham also started to mature and look for more in life. The script grew into being about how imperative connections are in our daily lives." Kirn recalls that his 2005 novel’s subject matter originally arose out of a chance encounter. He was flying to Los Angeles, when he asked the man in the seat next to him where he was from. "Oh, I’m from right here; right from this seat, in fact," he said. Kirn asked what he meant by that, his fellow traveller explained that he used to have an apartment but, because he was on the road three hundred days a year, he traded it for a storage locker and called extended-stay hotels home. When Kirn pressed him further, he said, "You know, there are plenty of me around." The author realized as he talked to him that he had adapted to a global landscape that’s entirely composed of airports, hotels, chain restaurants, gift shops and magazine racks. "But I also realized how lonely he must feel." Thus was born Kirn’s central character, Ryan Bingham, who has managed to reach his mid forties without forming any true personal attachments other than to his elite travel programs and who spends his days quite literally 'letting people go'. Bingham emerged as a keenly current twist on the classic American salesman, selling dreams to those devastated by the sudden, impersonal loss of their careers, as he crisscrosses the nation. This intrigued Reitman. "Instead of going door to door, Ryan goes from hub to hub," says the 2007 Independent Spirit Award winning director ("Thank You for Smoking"). "And yet there is something very emotional in the idea of a man who in mid-life has no real permanent address." Kirn was thrilled when he learned that Reitman wanted to direct the film, recalling "Thank You for Smoking was so unconventional in its attitude, it caused me to immediately trust him as a kind of co-conspirator. And when I received the script, I felt that Jason had added a fourth dimension to it for the screen. I bowed my head in gratitude for the fact that it had been done so well and by a person with skills that I simply don’t have." Reitman went beyond simply translating the book to the screen. He took Kirn’s Bingham and forged a set of wholly original dramatic circumstances around him by crafting two characters who shatter Ryan Bingham’s well-constructed cocoon of individuality. These are: Natalie Keener, a gung-ho if naïve, 23 year old efficiency expert with a degree in Psychology who he is forced to take under his wing even as she threatens his lifestyle; and Alex Goran, the woman who seems to be his business travel soul-mate, sparking his first-ever desire for more than just a fleeting link to another human being. The screenplay would take on another powerful layer of relevancy as Grammy winner Reitman ("Juno") wrote, because, not only did his life change in major ways, the USA’s economic situation dramatically shifted. By the time the script was nearly complete, the country was in the middle of a severe and perilous recession, a financial meltdown which compelled Reitman to more deeply explore the story’s underlying theme of job loss. In doing so, Reitman was inspired to take an unusual risk. Instead of scripting the film’s collage of firings and confessions from the newly unemployed, he decided he would go out to capture real, direct, unscripted reactions from ordinary Americans who had just gone through the intensely emotional experience of losing a job in a faltering economy. It proved to be an eye-opening and moving process, tying the film’s mix of human drama and comedy to a sobering reality. "We wanted the firing scenes to be honest and true." He says the obvious thought was "why not show the real thing?" It would take them to Detroit, Michigan and St Louis, Missouri. "We went to Detroit and St Louis, two cities hit hardest by all the job losses of the last year, and put ads in the Help Wanted section saying we were making a movie about job loss and looking for people who were willing to talk about it. We got so many submissions, it was heartbreaking." From the beginning, the story was written with Academy Award ® winner George Clooney ("Syriana") in mind. "If you're going to make a movie about a guy who fires people for a living and wants to live alone, he better be a darn charming actor. And there really isn’t anyone better at that than George Clooney," Reitman stated. "The role was tailor-made for him." And what was Clooney's reaction, when he'd finished reading the script? "Jason, it’s great." And on location? "He’s just a lovely guy to have on set," says Reitman. "People say that a lot and you presume that it’s gotta be hype, but it’s not." Many were struck by the chemistry between the writing and Clooney’s delivery. "Jason is able to write dialogue that is sharp and cutting, yet has real soul, and that’s who George is," producer Jeffrey Clifford ("I Love You, Man") offered. For the vital role of Alex Gorman, whose elite travel program savvy seduces Ryan but who also triggers a desire for real sharing, Reitman turned to 2008 British Independent Film Award winning actress Vera Farmiga ("The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas"). Farmiga was drawn both to the story and to working with Reitman. "The writing in this script was sharp as a tack, and the characters brilliantly edgy and witty," says the 2006 NBR Award winning actress ("The Departed"). "I think heroines in a Jason Reitman film are quicker, sharper, more intelligent and more eccentric than most other film female characters. And that’s what drew me to Alex. The film also has such poignancy and enormous social relevance. Jason knows comedy: it’s in his genes. I had to trust him because I am terrified of irony, but he really has an excellent sense of how humor works." And working with Clooney? "George was exactly the partner I needed because I have never felt as insecure as I did coming into this role. I had just given birth to my first child two weeks before my first costume fitting. I really needed an ally and he was simply wonderful." Just as Bingham meets Alex, another woman comes into his life: a young number-cruncher named Natalie Keener played by 2009 NBR winner Anna Kendrick ("Up In The Air"). Best known to fans for her role as Jessica Stanley in the "Twilight" franchise, Kendric had this role written for her. "I had seen her in "Rocket Science", and thought she was simply incredible, different from any actress her age,"Reitman recalls. "And when she came in to audition for "Up in the Air", she proved it. She has a completely unique voice that separates her from her generation. Natalie is an unromantic, business-minded, bull-headed young woman who reminds me of several women I adore, including my wife." Kendrick describes Natalie as, "smart but also uptight, uncomfortable in her own skin and socially awkward. Now, I don’t think I’m the smartest person in the room, but I did connect with the control freak aspect of it and I’m really an awkward person." On working with Clooney she said: "I was terrified, excited and nervous." Jason Bateman ("Juno" & "State Of Play") was cast as Bingham’s boss Craig Gregory. "Once I read the script, I knew that Craig Gregory was going to be a great character to play," says the 2005 Golden Globe winner (TV'S "Arrested Development"). "Jason’s drama is filled with comedy, and vice versa, because he’s interested in real people with real problems. "His is a hysterical but heartbreaking kind of humor. Not a lot of people know how to do that but Jason is certainly one of them." "This is a serious movie that is very, very funny. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much: it’s a movie that’s beyond genre. It’s perfect for Jason because his work is never classifiable. His first two films were completely unique and so is this one," Executive Producer Tom Pollock ("I Love You, Man") notes. Pollock’s partner in the Montecito Picture Company ("Road Trip", "The Pink Panther" & "Disturbia"), is a man who perhaps knows Jason Reitman as well as anyone, because he is an acclaimed director in his own right. "Speaking as both a producer and a dad, this was one of the best screenplays I’ve read," Ivan Reitman ("Ghostbusters I & II", "Twins" & "Kindergarten Cop") says. "Taking Walter Kirn’s idea about a man who loves to fly and fires people for a living, a whole new story was created that is very timely to what is happening right now." "Every day you see news stories about job cuts but it's usually about a number, so it’s easy to forget who these people are," his son responds. "What I’m most proud of is that the movie puts real faces to those numbers." Synopsis

Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizer who travels across America doing the job most bosses don't want to face: laying off their loyal employees. This consummate modern business traveler, after staying happily airborne for year and barely touching base, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection. Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he’s a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he’s close to attaining his lifetime goal of ten million frequent flier miles. For all that, Ryan has nothing real to hold onto: until he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler Alex Goran. Just when things are looking up, his boss, inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert, threatens to permanently call him in from the road. But Ryan fights back. Determined to show 'Miss Efficiency' she has no idea of what happens in the real world, he takes her on his next trip.

The Verdict "If you enjoyed films such as "Welcome to Collinwood", "Intolerable Cruelty", "Michael Clayton" and "Burn After Reading", you're in for a real treat when it comes to Jason Reitman's new film, "Up In The Air". It boasts a stellar cast which includes this generations 'Cary Grant': consumate leading man, Mr George Clooney. I say 'Mr' as a mark of respect. It's a term resevered for Hollywood greats and it certainly applies to Clooney. Clooney has come a long way. His first major film role was the Robert Rodriguiz helmed, "From Dusk till Dawn", which he appeared in while starring as Dr Doug Ross in the smash hit TV series "ER". His career received a huge boost in 2000 when he starred as Captain Billy Tyne in "Perfect Storm" and then as Everett, a jailbird on the run in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength and his popularity has never wained. "Up In The Air" will ensure it stays that way. He brings such credibility to his roles and this one, which Reitman specifically wrote for him, is no exception. Clooney's powerful onscreen presence is perfectly balanced by his two leading ladies: the gorgeous Vera Farmiga (who played Mother in the gripping WW2 drama "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas") and Anna Kendrick (Fritzi Wagner in Todd Graff's fab "Camp"). Jason Bateman never seems to get enough screentime, but what he does get, he makes unforgettable (think Dominic Foy in "State Of Play"). While some may not 'get', "Up In The Air", those who love films which feature wonderfully quirky, witty and poignant storylines, will think all their birthdays have come at once. Reitman is to be commended for including, in the film, real people who experienced being 'let go' during the financial meltdown. Great work! 4 1/2 STARS." Who's Who?

George Clooney Vera Farmiga Anna Kendrick Jason Bateman Amy Morton Melanie Lynskey J.K. Simmons Sam Elliott Danny McBride Zach Galifianakis Chris Lowell Steve Eastin

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Ryan Bingham Alex Natalie Craig Kara Julie Bob Maynard Finch Jim Miller Steve Kevin Samuels

The Crew

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Designer Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

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Jason Reitman Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner the novel by Walter Kirn Jeffrey Clifford/Daniel Dubiecki Ivan Reitman/Jason Reitman Rolfe Kent Eric Steelberg Dana E Glauberman Mindy Marin Steve Saklad Andrew Max Cahn Linda Lee Sutton Danny Glicker

Run Time 109 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services All Rights Reserved