Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a look at another Telluride film, this time the much buzzed about UP IN THE AIR.
There was a lot of drama preceding this film. It was rumored to be one of the TBAs in the schedule, but not actually confirmed until after the late movie (meaning after midnight) the day before. The sneaks at Telluride are the hottest tickets in town.
I was doing the festival in a stand-by capacity and that would usually mean I was S.O.L. for this screening as it was sure to fill up with badges, but I was lucky enough to have gotten ahold of a paper ticket, which acts the same as a pass.
But that meant I had to get in line very early, so I got there about 2 ½ hours early and stood in the rain… even then I barely got in.
It was a madhouse, people cutting, angry badgeholders yelling at the volunteers… in other words, a ton of fun.
When Jason Reitman took the stage he told the crowd that he’s been going to film festivals since his teen years and he knows what it’s like to wait 2-3 hours in line to see a movie and that he remembers that elated feeling you get when you make the cut, when hundreds of people are turned away behind you. He said as good as that must feel to us in the audience it doesn’t even compare to his elation at having the priviledge to show his film to us.
He was very humble and before letting the film roll he had to tell his wife happy fifth anniversary and expressed his love to her which, of course, got some awwwwww’s from the audience.
George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham who essentially does what the two Bobs in OFFICE SPACE did: travel around the country and “do what their pussy bosses can’t” meaning breaking the news of layoffs to the fired employees.
The flick starts off with pretty aerial photography behind the credits that turns into a montage of people looking directly at the camera doing everything from cry to dumbfoundedly asking what they did to cursing and screaming.
Then we see Clooney doing what Clooney does… being a charmer, talking these people down, feeding them bullshit lines but doing it in such a way that they take the bad news better.
Clooney loves his job, loves accruing miles and has his travel down to an exact science.
I really related to this aspect of the movie. I do a lot of traveling for the site and after a while it becomes a routine. E-check-in at the airport, travel only with a carry-on, spot the fastest way through security, grab two bins… one for my computer, another for my shoes, phone and contents of my pockets… I even have an order I put my things through the x-ray machine. Computer bag goes first so when I’m on the other side I can have it ready when my laptop goes through and have that put away before my shoes and other things come down the line.
Watching Clooney doing his packing ritual and airport check-in just made me laugh. I’ve done everything he’s done, albeit without the racial profiling. He says to always look for Asians while going through security because they pack light and wear shoes that easily slip off.
You’d think this constant traveling lifestyle would be a lonely one for Clooney’s character, but it’s not. I’m not like him at all. After a lot of traveling I start to yearn for home… my own bed, my own shower… just some time to relax. Clooney’s character says he traveled some 323 days of the year and that left him some 42 miserable days at home.
The fact is Clooney’s good at what he does, loves his job and loves his routine. More than anything he loves collecting airmiles, hotel loyalty points… anything of that sort. Again I can relate. He says it’s not about the miles, but about the status.
He has a goal, to be one of the only people to reach topmost status with American Airlines’ loyalty program. Only 6 people in the world have done it before him. As he says more people have walked on the moon than have reached this status.
Of course, being a movie you know that he can’t keep content. His world has to be shaken and it is done so in two very adorable ways.
The first is Vera Farmiga. As she says in the movie, she is Clooney with a vagina. It’s like the travel gods created her just for Clooney. She shares all his passions, but doesn’t want anything serious, doesn’t want to put down roots.
You can see their meeting in this just released clip at Apple.com.
The second is Anna Kendrick. I’ve harbored a small crush on her since I saw ROCKET SCIENCE and this movie has probably graduated that into a sizeable crush. Kendrick plays an up and coming new hire at the agency. She threatens Clooney’s job with a revolutionary new way of firing masses via teleconference. That would eliminate most of the company’s overhead… no more travel costs.
Jason Bateman plays Clooney’s boss and he loves the idea. Clooney naturally isn’t happy about it and in pure buddy cop movie fashion he’s partnered up with this young, fresh out of college girl to show her the ropes as Bateman quietly explores the possibilities of e-firing people.
If Farmiga is Clooney’s mirror image then Kendrick is his evil goateed mirrored opposite, which makes them a great team for comedy. She is shy, introverted and believes in finding true love, settling down and starting a family. He believes in hotel sex and room service.
The heart of the film is in Clooney’s character being challenged by Kendrick to reevaluate his outlook on life at the exact time when Farmiga gives him the reason to even contemplate a lifestyle change.
Much like Reitman’s THANK YOU FOR SMOKING this film can be called both a comedy and a drama. At first the focus is pretty squarely on the comedy. For instance, Zach Galifianakis has a cameo as one of the employees getting fired by Clooney and we see flashes of him having different reactions to the firing, a series of “What ifs” from quiet disbelief to sniping co-workers from the opposite rooftop.
As the movie continues we move a little more into the drama category as Clooney’s world comes crashing down and he realizes he really has nothing and, more importantly, that he just might want to have a relationship with a human being that goes beyond small talk in first class.
I’m starting to see a consistency with Reitman’s work as a director. Looking at this film, Juno and Thank You For Smoking I see movies that are not afraid of alternating between the funny and serious while displaying a real heart, even when dealing with larger than life characters.
Up In The Air is definitely more Thank You For Smoking than Juno in that it’s a less exaggerated world and that our lead character has a despicable job that causes a lot of misery for a lot of people but you can’t help liking him anyway.
A few Reitman regulars come back, including JK Simmons in a great one-scene cameo. I already mentioned Bateman who doesn’t have a very flashy role, but brings a lot to it anyway. Bateman’s got a talent for drama, which is probably why he’s such a good comedian. He can play to the reality of the situation, whether he’s doing it over-the-top (Smokin’ Aces) or as the straight man. I’d like to see him tackle a solidly dramatic role in the near future.
The only issue I have with the movie is a slowdown that happens between the second and third acts. The film needs this time, it’s important for us to see Clooney slow down and evaluate his life and this segment does bring us the Kiwi beauty Melanie Lynskey as Clooney’s sister and Danny McBride (in a far more toned down performance than we’re used to from him) as Clooney’s Brother-In-Law to be.
This slump isn’t a movie-killer and I couldn’t offer up a solution that keeps what’s important to the characters and the story, so it’s not even really a complaint, but it is something I noticed.
Reitman knows his shit and he’s proving movie after movie that he’s a filmmaker to watch, someone whose next film should always be anticipated. There’s a reason UP IN THE AIR was the most buzzed about movie at the fest and it wasn’t just because it was a big sneak. This isn't a happy-go-lucky, no consequences comedy, but it's also not a wrist-slittingly depressing movie either. Reitman and co-screenwriter Sheldon Turner found the sweet-spot between the two that gives us a final product that really makes you feel for the characters, whether you're laughing along with his crazy adventures across the country or empathetic as he finally exposes himself, drops his armor, and very quickly comes to regret it.
I spoke with a ton of people at the fest, regular badgeholders, standbyers that got in at later screenings, the old, young and those in the middle and all either really liked or flat out loved the movie. I’m sure we’ll get like word out of Toronto this week.
Paramount releases the movie at the beginning of December.
Alright, time for sleep. I write this from an overpriced Comfort Inn in Goodland, Kansas on my way back home from the fest... I was stopped by a godawful rain and hailstorm, but that gave me time to finish up this review and get it posted. I can't wait to get back. I'll more thank likely lose a day to BEATLES ROCK BAND, but I still have some good stuff to bring you guys from Telluride. Keep an eye peeled!
PS If you want to see my Casa Bonita experience, check over to my Twitter account. Pics and reactions to one of the most amazing places in the world. South Park didn't lie. It is unbelievable!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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