George Clooney has earned his way into the category of trusted actor. It happened on the last feature I saw him in, Michael Clayton. Afterwards, I decided the films he takes on are worthy, period. There are few other actors in this category. Renee Zellwiger, Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges. The point is, Clooney chooses his projects wisely. Aside from 'Oceans', which he does for camaraderie, Clooney has climbed to the top, several steps above his previous status of 'charismatic with face value'.
'Up In The Air' finds George in the curious role of Ryan Bingham. Employment for Ryan is dependent on the expendibility of fellow professionals. He is a hired gun, who terminates and transitions employees for companies who would rather outsource their blood-letting. Ryan lives comfortably out of a carry-on suitcase. He has mastered the art of transition, thus he is an expert at what he does.
Back at the home office, Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) has hired a recent firestorm of a grad (Anna Kendrick), who has plans on modernizing the way his company does business. Ryan is tasked with taking her on the road and indoctrinating her into his way of doing things. Along the way, Ryan's latest partner in the mile high club (Vera Farmiga) slowly evolves into something more. Transition is the major theme of 'Up In The Air'. That takes on many contexts in this fine drama fused with romance and comedic splashes.
'Up In The Air' is directed by Jason Reitman, who previously helmed the outstanding 'Juno' and a favorite of mine 'Thank You For Smoking'. Reitman is quite good at dealing with everyday situations coupled with exceptional dialogue. The actors are allowed the latitude to expand their characters while remaining on a smart pace. This occurs when room for expression is granted yet not allowed to linger. This fine line can also be observed in the editing which is very good as well.
As stated Mr. Clooney has elevated his stature, yet his supporting cast is undeniably outstanding. Vera Farmiga is truly wonderful as Mr. Clooney's mirror image throughout. She has a great script to indulge in and appears comfortable matching wits with Clooney. I also thought that Anna Kendrick was perfect for the role and spot on from her first scene to the last. Hers is a new world of a matter of fact 'company man' on the rise. Jason Bateman turns in another fine performance as Clooney's supportive but realistic boss. His previous role in 2009's 'State of Play' saw him scaling new heights as well.
The DVD is available in Blu-ray as well as regular DVD. It plays with a crystal clear picture and sounds great (screened on a Sony BVD-360 with a Samsung 40" 1080p HD set). Special Features include commentary from the director, Jason Reitman, and deleted scenes.
