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.
Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.
Director:
Tony Gilroy
Stars:
George Clooney,
Tilda Swinton,
Tom Wilkinson
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-traveller woman of his dreams.
While at Lambert Field in St. Louis, Ryan tries to make an impassioned speech to Natalie about Charles A. Lindbergh's plane "The Spirit of St. Louis". Officially, Lindbergh's plane was a Ryan NYP (New York City to Paris), so the two share the same name. As a tribute to Charles Lindbergh, the airport displays a prop Spirit of St. Louis, used in The Spirit of St. Louis (1957). See more »
Goofs
While it is only implied, many of the air shots of the cities visited are not winter shots, but have trees in full leaf. All shots of farmland are have crops. Yet much of the film takes place in the middle of the USA in the winter, with snow on the ground, no leaves on the trees, etc. See more »
Quotes
[Ryan meets Alex Goran for the first time at a hotel bar]
Ryan Bingham:
Are you satisfied with Maestro?
Alex Goran:
Yeah, I am.
Ryan Bingham:
A little stingy with their miles. I like Hertz.
Alex Goran:
No, Hertz keeps its vehicles too long. If a car has over 20,000 miles, I won't drive it.
Ryan Bingham:
Maestro doesn't instant checkout. I like to park and go.
Alex Goran:
Hertz doesn't guarantee navigation.
Ryan Bingham:
It's funny. You don't seem like a girl who needs directions.
Alex Goran:
Oh, I hate asking for directions. That's why I get a nav.
Ryan Bingham:
That new outfit, Colonial, it's not bad.
[...] See more »
Crazy Credits
Over the end credits, the camera glides over the clouds. Much like the view from a plane. See more »
Up In The Air takes a strange premise that could easily feel stale or cold, especially given the perfunctory connotation that airport travel has, but succeeds as a pleasant, if forgettable, movie. Clooney is very good as a detached but thoughtful lead, and Kendrick also impressed, injecting life and uncertainty into the movie. The comedy works well and doesn't feel overdone. The way the travel scenes were cut also showed Bingham's comfort and intimate knowledge of the airport drill in a way that was fun to watch. Reitman does a good job of keeping each scene engaging and is at his best when he uses subtle social commentary. The themes of personal connection and security were amusingly turned on their head by Clooney having to teach Kendrick about maneuvering firing, as she makes the job he loves obsolete. The twist with Farmiga's character was also good and surprising, keeping the film from being a by- the- numbers rom-com. The timing and reaction to the 10 million miles was also well done. It's not a movie that's exceptional in any area and not one that will ever immediately come to mind, but it's a solid, pleasant watch with some originality.
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Up In The Air takes a strange premise that could easily feel stale or cold, especially given the perfunctory connotation that airport travel has, but succeeds as a pleasant, if forgettable, movie. Clooney is very good as a detached but thoughtful lead, and Kendrick also impressed, injecting life and uncertainty into the movie. The comedy works well and doesn't feel overdone. The way the travel scenes were cut also showed Bingham's comfort and intimate knowledge of the airport drill in a way that was fun to watch. Reitman does a good job of keeping each scene engaging and is at his best when he uses subtle social commentary. The themes of personal connection and security were amusingly turned on their head by Clooney having to teach Kendrick about maneuvering firing, as she makes the job he loves obsolete. The twist with Farmiga's character was also good and surprising, keeping the film from being a by- the- numbers rom-com. The timing and reaction to the 10 million miles was also well done. It's not a movie that's exceptional in any area and not one that will ever immediately come to mind, but it's a solid, pleasant watch with some originality.