FILM! SECTION
“Up in the Air”, being likable in an un-likeable job!”
upon while in a bookstore at the time he was looking for something to do instead of Thank You For Smoking. “I saw it on the shelf,” says Reitman. “I started reading it and it spoke to me in every way. I have become more interested in the human experience instead of just being funny. This film has as much as me in it as any film I can imagine.”
Review by Stan Robinson Actor George Clooney is very busy and much in demand since his days of television in the multi award-winning series “ER” (1984). With recent starring roles in “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, and “Up In The Air”, he has Oscar® ‘buzz’ surrounding his name! His characters are interesting and likable. In “Up in the Air”, his character is the messenger who is only delivering the message and he’s quite good at it, while the result of the message does not result in a positive reaction from the receiver! Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing expert. In short, is a job that has him traveling around the country firing people. His cherished, empty life out of a suitcase, being very close to reaching ten million frequent flyer miles, and just after he’s met the frequenttraveler woman of his dreams is about to change, his company does the unexpected: they ground him! His company wants to explore other ways of delivering corporate firings and launch their alternate plans. Revelations come all around as the company realizes there’s some aspects to humanity that need the human interaction while he realizes that his lifestyle is not as empty as one would think. Read more on “Up in the Air” at www.ScreenScene.org
While based on the novel, there is a lot of Reitman in the movie. “It took me six years to write. The plot is very much my own. I took a character philosophy that I really identified in the book, went from there and made my own film.”
Director Jason Reitman Goes UP IN THE AIR By Randy Montgomery
Jason Reitman may have a famous Hollywood father, Ivan Reitman (Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters) but the 32-year old writer/director has also made a name for himself in the industry. His films have drawn considerable audiences and won over the praise of critics. In 2005, Reitman brought us Thank You For Smoking and in 2007, the indie smash hit, Juno. His latest project Up in the Air (opening in Phoenix on Friday, December 11) is getting Oscar buzz and may garner several nominations. Up in the Air is based on the novel by Walter Kirn which Reitman stumbled
Directed by Jason Reitman; written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Paramount Pictures release. Rated R for language and some sexual content. Runtime: 109 minutes.
December 10th - December 16th, 2009
“When I first starting writing (Up in
Whether you admire Ryan Bingham’s independence, or loathe it, the character and storyline make you think. “I find Ryan likable from start to finish,” says Reitman. “Sometimes audiences find him likable and sometimes they don’t. It depends on how you view his lifestyle. If you embrace his version of life at the beginning of the film, then he doesn’t come off cold. You go, ‘OK well this is actually my life, I’m on the road all the time.’ There is something exhilarating about being around strangers all the time instead of being around the same people. I empathize with the character. I want to humanize his life as much as possible. I want you to see yourself in the film. I want the audience to think about what they want for themselves.” The stories Reitman picks aren’t by accident. “My work defines me. That’s who I am. I am a director. When a film works, when any story works; it’s a mirror. You simply see yourself in it. I don’t want you to see me in my work, I want you to see yourself.” In terms of Up in the Air, he gets a “…real sense of purpose from the film. I like small, personal films, that’s what gets me excited.”
Director Jason Reitman on the set of Paramount Pictures’ Up in the Air.
Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, and Danny McBride.
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Up in the Air stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, whose company sends him all over the country to fire people when employers are unable or unwilling to do it themselves. It’s a depressing job, but Bingham has become accustomed to breaking the bad news. He has also become a frequent traveler, who finds solace in being alone. His main goal; to reach the highest level of frequent flier miles available through American Airlines. It’s a lonely life, but he chooses it. The lonely life is tuned upside-down when he is forced to travel with a young new female employee. In addition, a romance blossoms when he encounters another lonely soul (Vera Farmiga) obsessed with VIP status and airline miles.
the Air), it was corporate satire. But as I changed and the world changed, I realized that I kind of needed to be more authentic about the ways people lose their job. We put an ad in the paper and got real people to come and go on camera as people who get fired in the film.”
AZWeeklyMagazine.com