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Up in the Air (2009)

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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.

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(novel), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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1,421 ( 183)
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 76 wins & 158 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Ryan Bingham
... Alex Goran
... Natalie Keener
... Craig Gregory
... Kara Bingham
... Julie Bingham
... Bob
... Maynard Finch
... Jim Miller
... Steve
... Kevin
... Samuels
... Young MC
... Conference DJ
Adrienne Lamping ... Tammy
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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-traveller woman of his dreams.

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

From Paramount Pictures comes the story of a man ready to make a connection See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Release Date:

23 December 2009 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

In the Air  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,181,450, 6 December 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$83,823,381

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$166,842,739
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

|

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie wears a business suit in every scene in the film. Even at the party, she is wearing a suit with the coat off, the shirt untucked, and her hair down. See more »

Goofs

The shuttle bus for the Miami Airport Hilton does not cross any bridges (in this case MacArthur Causeway) going from the airport to the hotel. Hotel only provides complimentary shuttle to/from airport, not nearby destinations See more »

Quotes

Natalie Keener: [sitting across from Ryan and Alex] I should just date women
Alex Goran: [sitting next to Ryan while the three of them have drinks] I tried it, we're no picnic ourselves
Natalie Keener: I don't mind being married to my career and I don't expect it to hold me in bed as I sleep, I just don't want to settle
Alex Goran: You're young, right now you see settling down as a failure
Natalie Keener: It is, by definition
Alex Goran: By the time someone is right for you it won't feel like settling and the only one to judge you will be the twenty three year old with the ...
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Crazy Credits

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

Connections

Featured in Brief Film Reviews: My Top 10 Films of 2009 (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

Taken At All
(1976)
Written by David Crosby and Graham Nash
Performed by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
A '00s Masterpiece
7 December 2009 | by See all my reviews

So 2009, and the decade known as...(what do we call this decade?), are ending later this month. And there is no better film to wrap up a (frankly) terrible decade (in terms of news events, unemployment, the economy, the media stronghold, the trashing and dumbing down of American culture, technology, narcissism, vanity obsession, a divided nation, violence and hostility) than Up in the Air. The film, the best I've seen all year and one of the best of the decade, captures many of the factors that made this decade the worst one, at least in my 42 years. The 70s may have been bad economically but hey, at least we had Bruce Springsteen and real music on the radio, women still seemed to like men and not only if the men were millionaires, thoughtful movies in the theater, and only five or so TV channels to pick from. Up in the Air features George Clooney as a man with no "roots," (that is, no wife, no kids, and his apartment in Omaha is about as furnished as a room at Embassy Suites), who fires people for a living because the companies who hire him are too cowardly to do it themselves. It is a juicy role for Clooney, who has made a career out of playing easy-talking charmers. The film sounds depressing and in many ways it is, but it is also witty, quietly hilarious at times, and full of pathos when it becomes a morality piece near the middle (and like the best morality pieces, it doesn't shove its message down your throat). It reminded me in many ways of American Beauty, the masterpiece that capped off the '90s when it hit theaters ten years ago. Clooney's character slowly is stripped of the things he only cared about--including a one-night-stand that becomes a "Same Time Next Year"-like meeting in Hampton Inns and Hiltons in Miami, Detroit, Wichita and other random cities, with another constant traveler (we never know what exactly she does, and that's not supposed to matter) played by Vera Farmiga, who may win an Oscar nomination for her mysterious, slightly passive and jaded, 30something character. The final important character is an eager young Cornell graduate (played by Anna Kendrick, from Twilight) who thinks that a career in firing people is a wise choice now, and in some respects she's not that far off. Her character represents many of the Twitter-obsessed twentysomethings driven for money money money, who live for texting, and has naive and even immature ideals of what makes a relationship work. But she too goes through a transformation, as Up in the Air reaches a "feel good while feeling bad" quality of Frank Capra's darker films, like Meet John Doe. One of the most amazing things about this film is its use of real people in the "firing scenes;" people who have really lost their jobs several weeks or months before being filmed. Director Jason Reitman combines scenes of these people being fired by Clooney and Kendrick, and their instant responses are wholly authentic. There are a few actors playing the "firees" as well, but they blend in with the real folks. I really can't think of a better film to cap off this decade. This one will stay with you. Highly recommended.


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