Best Drama of the Decade

Up in the Air (2009)

Jason Reitman is a very talented director. If you haven’t seen Juno or Thank You for Smoking, you can rent, or buy, these now (and you won’t be disappointed). Here, Reitman has created (he both wrote and directed this film) what will probably become the quintessential film of this time in American history.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has maybe the job with more job security than any other … he travels the country at the bequest of “chicken” corporations and fires their employees for them. Living out of a suitcase with the road (or the air) as his home, he takes no shame in crushing the lives of most everyone he meets. Unbeknownst to him, his job has caused him to be jaded to any emotion. His life is actually as empty as his apartment.

Things change, however, when his boss (Jason Bateman) grounds him. Technology is soon to replace him, thanks to wunderkid Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). She woos the company with her idea that she can save the company tons of money by firing people through video-conferencing. Bingham gets the task of taking Natalie on the road to experience the job firsthand. Along their journey, both change dramatically, and I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll say I didn’t necessarily see where this film was going. In fact, I pride myself on knowing what happens next in films and here most every guess I had was incorrect.

I will tell you that is this film is cinema bliss. From the screenplay, to the acting (both professional actors and everyman actors … apparently the film used actual employees who were let go from their jobs), to the direction, there isn’t a false note. The subplot with Clooney’s family is spot-on, and was a welcome surprise. Vera Farmiga more than holds her own with Clooney, and the two have superb chemistry (even more than Clooney and Lopez in out of Sight, which many call one of the sexiest films ever made). Many reviews compare their story to romantic comedies of the past, and I can see the comparison, but theirs is a much more modern, and welcome, take.

I don’t want to spoil anything for those hoping to catch this film prior to the Oscars. In fact, I highly suggest you do see it if you want a leg up on your Oscar pool. I expect multiple nominations for this film.