Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysHoliday PicksMAMISTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Up in the Air

  • 2009
  • AL
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
346K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,993
226
George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (2009)
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.
Play trailer2:33
19 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaRomance

Ryan Bingham enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a... Read allRyan Bingham enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a new hire presenting a new business model.Ryan Bingham enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a new hire presenting a new business model.

  • Director
    • Jason Reitman
  • Writers
    • Walter Kirn
    • Jason Reitman
    • Sheldon Turner
  • Stars
    • George Clooney
    • Vera Farmiga
    • Anna Kendrick
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    346K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,993
    226
    • Director
      • Jason Reitman
    • Writers
      • Walter Kirn
      • Jason Reitman
      • Sheldon Turner
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Vera Farmiga
      • Anna Kendrick
    • 596User reviews
    • 410Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 6 Oscars
      • 75 wins & 171 nominations total

    Videos19

    Up in the Air: Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch Up in the Air: Trailer #2
    Up in the Air: Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 2:01
    Watch Up in the Air: Teaser Trailer
    'Up in the Air' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:37
    Watch 'Up in the Air' | Anniversary Mashup
    "Something Real" from Up in the Air
    Clip 0:55
    Watch "Something Real" from Up in the Air
    "I Am Not a Tour Guide" from Up in the Air
    Clip 0:38
    Watch "I Am Not a Tour Guide" from Up in the Air
    "Everyone Needs a Co-Pilot" from Up in the Air
    Clip 2:03
    Watch "Everyone Needs a Co-Pilot" from Up in the Air
    Up in the Air: "Order Five Meals"
    Clip 1:20
    Watch Up in the Air: "Order Five Meals"
    Up in the Air: "Bar Club Cards"
    Clip 1:09
    Watch Up in the Air: "Bar Club Cards"
    Up In The Air: A Chance At Something Real
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Up In The Air: A Chance At Something Real
    Up In The Air: Jason Reitman Featurette
    Clip 2:48
    Watch Up In The Air: Jason Reitman Featurette
    Up In The Air: Travel Tips
    Clip 0:47
    Watch Up In The Air: Travel Tips
    Up In The Air: Ultra Bar Club Cards
    Clip 1:06
    Watch Up In The Air: Ultra Bar Club Cards

    Photos107

    George Clooney, Melanie Lynskey, and Danny McBride in Up in the Air (2009)
    Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009)
    Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (2009)
    Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney, Melanie Lynskey, and Amy Morton in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Jason Reitman in Up in the Air (2009)
    George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Ryan Bingham
    Vera Farmiga
    Vera Farmiga
    • Alex Goran
    Anna Kendrick
    Anna Kendrick
    • Natalie Keener
    Jason Bateman
    Jason Bateman
    • Craig Gregory
    Amy Morton
    Amy Morton
    • Kara Bingham
    Melanie Lynskey
    Melanie Lynskey
    • Julie Bingham
    J.K. Simmons
    J.K. Simmons
    • Bob
    Sam Elliott
    Sam Elliott
    • Maynard Finch
    Danny McBride
    Danny McBride
    • Jim Miller
    Zach Galifianakis
    Zach Galifianakis
    • Steve
    Christopher Lowell
    Christopher Lowell
    • Kevin
    • (as Chris Lowell)
    Steve Eastin
    Steve Eastin
    • Samuels
    Marvin Young
    Marvin Young
    • Young MC
    Cut Chemist
    • Conference DJ
    Adrienne Lamping
    • Tammy
    Meagan Flynn
    Meagan Flynn
    • Flight Attendant
    Dustin Miles
    Dustin Miles
    • Ned
    Tamara Tungate
    • Club Hostess
    • Director
      • Jason Reitman
    • Writers
      • Walter Kirn
      • Jason Reitman
      • Sheldon Turner
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A large number of the people we see fired in the film are not actors, but people who were recently laid off. The filmmakers put out ads in St. Louis and Detroit posing as a documentary crew looking to document the effect of the recession. When people showed up, they were instructed to treat the camera like the person who fired them and respond as they did, or use the opportunity to say what they wished they had. A way to discern who are the actors, and who are the real people, is that the real people do not have dialogue with George Clooney or Anna Kendrick, as they were shot separately. Jason Reitman did this intentionally, feeling that the real people would freak out Clooney and Kendrick.
    • Goofs
      When Ryan asks how many miles a round-the-world flight would cost, he's told it's 500,000 miles. On American a first class round-the-world flight costs 300,000 miles (and even less for lower classes). However, the trip is for two people, not just one.
    • Quotes

      Ryan Bingham: [on the docks in Miami] You know that moment when you look into somebody's eyes and you can feel them staring into your soul and the whole world goes quiet just for a second?

      Natalie Keener: Yes.

      Ryan Bingham: [shrugs] Right. Well, I don't.

      Natalie Keener: you're an asshole.

    • Crazy credits
      There is a voice recording by Kevin Renick addressing to Jason Reitman mid-credit, stating the reason he wrote the song and the original recording of the song.
    • Connections
      Edited into De wereld draait door: Episode #5.84 (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      This Land Is Your Land
      Written by Woody Guthrie

      Performed by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

      Courtesy of Daptone Records

    User reviews596

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Bring your own wine
    I really liked the movie, it kind of invites you to bring your own wine. There's a lot of probing into modern life and relationships, and it's up to you what you take from the film and what you feel for each of the characters. I was quite grateful for having seen Reitman's Thank You For Smoking (2005) previously, because both movies are really arch in the way they set up people in thoroughly pariah job roles and then get you to warm to them. So it didn't really come as a shock to see Clooney as an HR consultant (Ryan Bingham) whose job is to fire people in redundancy exercises where the management are too yeller, instead it rated an amused and knowing eyebrow raise.

    Although a lot of the movie concerns the workplace, the disconnect between the interests of corporates and the interests of society (a link that was present historically in America, but which has been irrevocably decoupled), and how to work in that environment, the interest for me was more to do with relationships. From my male perspective there are some fairly poisonous insights into the female mind (though it may be unfair to generalise), the young Cornell grad Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick) talks about her preconceptions of the man she will meet, the kind of name he will have, apparently the only thing he will love more than her is their "golden lab". The slightly older perspective from Alex Goran (played by Vera Farmiga) is that the man should be taller, should earn more, and come from a good family. To go with the aeronautical theme of the movie, the theatre should have provided some sick bags.

    The main theme is, for me, pure Frank Borzage, it's about earning the right to love and be loved. In common with 80 years ago when those movies were being made, it's an onus that only weighs upon the male of the species, which makes the film a little hackneyed.

    My favourite ambiguity of the film would have to be the backpack lectures that Bingham (Clooney) gives. He has a whole metaphor about everything in your life, the people, the trinkets, all the stuff you can collect, being in a backpack and weighing you down. He says that people aren't swans, they're not meant to be together forever, that they're actually sharks, who have to keep swimming continually, weighed down by nothing. I think there's an element of truth to both poles, I can see both arguments. I just love going to a Hollywood movie and not having an opinion shoved down my throat.

    I had a slight problem regarding the level of realism in the film, I felt that the air-commuter lifestyle that was being shown was over-slicked, like I was watching something of a feather with The Consequences Of Love (or Giulia Doesn't Sleep At Night, two of the great modern hyper-stylised films from Italy). Nothing wrong with stylisation, except that I think Jason was trying to go for a film that had a lot of resonance with Recession America. I felt it was awkward to introduce real-life folks at the end, and also realistic looking termination assessments (or whatever they're called when you can someone), when the actors such as Clooney and Vera Farmiga were just so damned suave, as if from a different universe.

    And this is to Claire.
    helpful•54
    41
    • oOgiandujaOo_and_Eddy_Merckx
    • Jan 29, 2010

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ27

    • How long is Up in the Air?Powered by Alexa
    • What is the song that plays at the end of the movie? And where are the credits for this song in the credits list?
    • What is 'Up in the Air' about?
    • Is "Up in the Air" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 14, 2010 (Netherlands)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bay Lên Trời Cao
    • Filming locations
      • Cheshire Inn, St. Louis, Missouri, USA(Wedding shower scene)
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Cold Spring Pictures
      • DreamWorks
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $83,823,381
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,181,450
      • Dec 6, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $166,842,739
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (2009)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Up in the Air (2009) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Production art
    List
    The Best New Shows and Movies in November
    See our picks
    Production art
    Photos
    Radical On-Screen Transformations
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.