Up In The Air

Review by Sean Lynch

Up In The Air follows the timely odyssey of Ryan Beingham (a pitch-perfect George Clooney), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne (he has millions of frequent miles racked up), suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection (in the form of a mighty hot "mature" female counterpart).

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 10 million frequent flier miles - and yet... Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.

When he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), Ryan's boss (an always reserved Jason Bateman), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Twilight's Anna Kendrick), threatens to permanently call him in from the road. 

Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.

Showbiz is a strange beast - when it loves you, it loves you and when it's out for blood, it will take you down quicker than Pauly Shore can say "When are we making Son In Law 2?".

Such is the case with the latest flick from Juno director, Jason Reitman, who has teamed up with Oscar winner George Clooney for Up In The Air... a film which has more Oscar buzz surrounding it than any other film this year. That includes Avatar!

The problem with this over-abundance of public and critical confidence in the product is that... dare I say it... it's unwarranted. Don't get me wrong, Up In The Air is thoroughly entertaining, thought provoking and interesting. Clooney is excellent and incomparably charming, as is the stunning Vera Farmiga - but it's hardly the earth shatteringly good movie which everyone claims it to be.

Put simply, Up In The Air is a "bandwagon" that every man and their dog hoping to get their review quote on a poster has jumped on board. Will you enjoy it? Yes, very much so. However, is it anything more than a "Wait for DVD" and "Kind of like a prequel to About Schmidt"? Sadly, no.

Go out and see it, but don let the media fool you into thinking it's the second coming...

3.5 out of 5

Up In The Air
Australian release: 14th January, 2010
Official Site: Up In The Air
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Director: Jason Reitman