Now before we get to the review, let me just say that i’m not a professional movie critic and this is my first review with the BTF site. This is a somewhat more technical look at the film, so here it goes:
Up In The Air
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Reviewer: Eric Smigiel
Jason Reitman’s Up In The Air is a very important film for our times. It attempts to humanize a man that has some in-human qualities. However, by the end we realize that everything is still up in the air. Only we have the power to change who we are. Is it worth it?
The cinematography in the film coupled with the lighting, and fused together with editing is where the film shines visually. In the scenes where people are getting fired it is very steely in tone. A blue/cold look runs through those scenes in particular as well as follows Ryan Bingham(George Clooney) throughout the early stages of the film. This obviously represents that he is somewhat dull in nature, and just cold in what he does… which is firing people. However, by the end of the film more colors are infused in the films palette. One scene in particular that represents this well is when his sister is getting married and he has to go to a colorful elementary school where the husband-to-be is. Ryan teaches the husband-to-be, as well as himself, what life is all about.
The editing is another aspect that is pretty influential. For example when Ryan is packing for a business trip he packs up all of his things in a quick fast motion inter-cut with quick cuts of say the zipper, or the top of the briefcase coming down. By the end of the film, when his company decides to switch from air trips to more-grounded online interactions with the firing of employees, we see him pack up his bag one last time. This time, much slower than what he normally is used to. Slowly, he realizes that the packing up of his belongings is one of the only things he has or can depend on in his life.
An aspect of the film that didn’t work was the odd Simon and Garfunkle-esque songs. Sure it makes the film a little more upbeat then what the subject matter entails, but it just feels out of place, and out of touch with it’s characters. In a way, the music is a character of it’s own that shouldn’t be in the film.
Up In The Air ends up being a powerful film from the director of Juno and Thank You for Smoking and is definitely recommended as it is a truly human and emotionally driven portrait of life today.
Rating: 4/5
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