Frequent firer
March 03, 2010
By
Richard Jones
A look at george Clooney in Up In The Air...
WORKING for a company where you jet around the United States telling other workers they’re fired can’t be any bed of roses.
But that’s what Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) does for his Omaha-based company. Quite simply Ryan’s job depends on others losing theirs.
Out of the blue his boss Craig (Jason Bateman) hires a corporate up-and-comer Natalie (Anna Kendrick). She thinks she can streamline the firing process and help Craig keep his costs down.
Before this plan gets off the ground, Ryan is forced to chaperone Natalie as they head out to tell another unfortunate group of people their jobs are gone.
As someone who flies more than 320 days in any given year – and who has a secret goal to top 10 million loyalty miles with his preferred airline – Ryan first of all has to coach Natalie in how to pack a carry-on cabin bag.
When she comes up with her cost-cutting, teleconferencing plan to deliver terminations via the Internet Ryan feels his secret mission is under threat.
In the meantime he’s having a relationship with fellow frequent flier, the exquisite businesswoman Alex (Vera Farmiga), and as time goes on the corporate down-sizer realizes she really matters to him.
They both love what Ryan calls ‘elite status’ and although every five-star hotel room and first class airport lounge look the same to us Ryan and Alex seem to feel more at home in them than in their own places.
Ryan’s apartment in Omaha is really one in name only. He’s rarely at home.
The whole thing doesn’t quite end up where you think it might as director Jason Reitman throws in a couple of edgy closing frames.
And the three main actors in Up In The Air have all snared Academy Award nominations: Clooney for Best Actor and amazingly both Farmiga and Kendrick in the Best Supporting Actress category.
The 2010 Oscars will be handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles (Monday, 8 March Australian time).
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