Up in the Air (I) (2009)

With a job that has him traveling around the country firing people, Ryan Bingham leads an empty life out of a suitcase, until his company does the unexpected: ground him.

Director:

Jason Reitman

Writers:

Walter Kirn (novel), Jason Reitman (screenplay),

Stars:

George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 64 wins & 66 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Clooney	...	Ryan Bingham
Vera Farmiga	...	Alex Goran
Anna Kendrick	...	Natalie Keener
Jason Bateman	...	Craig Gregory
Amy Morton	...	Kara Bingham
Melanie Lynskey	...	Julie Bingham
J.K. Simmons	...	Bob
Sam Elliott	...	Maynard Finch
Danny McBride	...	Jim Miller
Zach Galifianakis	...	Steve
Chris Lowell	...	Kevin
Steve Eastin	...	Samuels
Marvin Young	...	Young MC
Lucas MacFadden	...	Conference DJ (as Cut Chemist)
Adrienne Lamping	...	Tammy

Storyline

Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

suitcase | downsizing | business | computer | hotel | 

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Taglines:

The story of a man ready to make a connection.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor sin escalas

Filming Locations:

Affton High School, Affton, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,298,023 (UK) (15 January 2010)

Gross:

$83,813,460 (USA) (2 April 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cold Spring Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Reitman began writing the screenplay in 2002 when the economy was booming and planned to make it as his first feature. The opportunity to make Thank You for Smoking and Juno presented themselves and he put this off until this year, meanwhile America plummeted into an economic recession. He said the film's tone changed completely in response to the real world crisis and works much better now as a topical piece than it would have a decade ago, the delays in its realization being fortuitous.

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Goofs

When Ryan gets dropped off after leaving the school, we see him walking inside with the hood of the car still in place, in the next shot, the car is gone.

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Quotes

Ryan Bingham: So, did you wake him up or slip out?
Natalie Keener: What?
Ryan Bingham: This morning. Your new friend. Did you wake him up for an awkward goodbye or did you just slip out and make him feel like a whore?
Natalie Keener: [confused] I just left.
Ryan Bingham: Protocol's always tricky.

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Crazy Credits

Over the end credits, the camera glides over the clouds. Much like the view from a plane.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Up in the Air/Everybody's Fine/Brothers (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Time After Time"
(1984)
Written by Rob Hyman & Cyndi Lauper
Performed by Anna Kendrick
Courtesy of Pocket Songs

User Reviews

An engaging drama

This film is about a man who fires people for a living. His world becomes upside down when his job is radically changed by a newly recruited young fresh graduate.

"Up in the Air" is a well made film. The plot focuses on character development and emotional changes of the characters. It is not easy to make characters interesting and memorable, but "Up in the Air" does just that. Both the characters of George Clooney and Anna Kendrick have strongly divergent attitudes and personalities, but they have great chemistry and change each other slowly but surely. How they radically shake each others core belief is engagingly told. I enjoyed watching "Up in the Air" a lot, as it tells an engaging story of self discovery.