Review: ‘Up in the Air;’ a Great George Clooney, a Somber HR Tale About Loneliness, Detachment, and Finding Your Way Back

The 2009 comedy/drama “Up in the Air,” starring George Clooney, somehow slipped under my radar. I recently watched the movie on Netflix, propelled to do so after seeing a clip from the movie posted on Facebook reels of the film’s protagonist, Ryan Bingham, walking a character (J.K. Simmons) through a firing. I thought the premise looked intriguing. Bingham’s a man—as Clooney narrates in the opening—that fires people for companies whose bosses don’t have the nerve. It can get ugly, depressing, and impersonal. But luckily for Bingham, loneliness and impersonality are what he craves. Or thought he craved. “Up in the Air” is the story of a man who spends his life creating his perfect, isolate life, and only in the closing credits questions if this decision in fact nurtures his soul. 

A brief read of the synopsis of “Up in the Air”—the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn this movie is based on—seems to indicate the film, directed by Jason Reitman, departs significantly from the novel. And the film is indeed a comedy/drama, but leaning more towards drama. The first half, in fact, is mostly comedy. Bingham jets from city to city, firing people, and commenting—often with interior monologues—on the job itself. His boss (Jason Bateman in a rare, heartless role) will remark that business is good for their company, (the fictional CTC), because the economy is doing so bad. 

There’s a Knack to Firing People

There’s not a lot of empathy floating around. It seems worse when CTC brings on a new, ambitious recruit, Natalie (Anna Kendrick). She wants to save the company money (and time) by having their team fire people remotely via video chats. That Natalie becomes a vital part of this cold movie’s turnaround is only one of its many surprises. The threat of working from CTC’s home office remotely—instead of traveling (Bingham has stated he’s traveled roughly 320 days last year)—is devastating to man with no home roots. He’s tasked with taking Natalie on the road one last time to learn the art of his job, which sets up the remainder of the film. 

Clooney is in rare form here. I can imagine his assuredness of the single life, devoid of attachments, resonating with many travelers and jet-setters. Bingham idolizes material things: room accommodations, skipping airport lines with VIP status, and gold cards for airlines and rental agencies. Ironically, though, he doesn’t demand them. Bingham isn’t a snob, but a realist who loves a life he can predict. He’s long ago wedged a gap between he and his sisters Karen (Amy Morton) and Julie (Melanie Lynskey)—the latter who is about to be married. He’s also not a typical “bachelor”-type, though he doesn’t believe in marriage, kids, or any of that. One gets the impression that when he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga)—and the two start the type of fleeting romance that only hotels and airline miles can offer—that even this isn’t something that happens to Bingham all that often. 

Reitman Directs Clooney, Kendrick, and Farmiga to Perfection

What works about “Up in the Air” is it takes an impersonal job and makes it about more than that. One could imagine a comedy, where Bingham loves the single, cynical life, and gets a kick out of firing people. But the more we follow him, the less we’re sure. We believe that he believes the lines he feeds fired employees, even if we know they don’t. Reitman’s film alleviates the stress with comic relief. But in the mark of a good filmmaker, that relief is never at the expense of fired employees, but at the ludicrousness of the whole ordeal. Watching “Up in the Air,” I was left with the impression its cold plot was not to be taken literally, but offered as a catalyst for a change that Ryan—should he be on the other side of the firing table—could one day find for himself. 

The cast works well together, although the strongest are Clooney, Kendrick, Farmiga, and Morton. Clooney and Farmiga have wonderful chemistry together. Their romance works—not as the tortured impossibility he shared with Violante Placido in the excellent “The American”—but as a different kind of impossibility. Their time is filled with niceties and sweet moments (including a tour of his hometown at his sister’s wedding), and the film throws a curveball in the final act that kind of stung, and was hard to see coming. 

However, the best moments are the chemistry between Clooney and Kendrick, the former a jaded company man, the latter a woman with a heart of gold who only thinks she wants to be heartless. She quips in one scene, “for the love of god, can I please fire the next one??” and her eagerness is met with Clooney’s dolor as she learns how hard firing someone truly is, and all the messy emotions that go along with it. The way “Up in the Air” builds their relationship is quick in pace, yet still slow and thoughtful. By the time Bingham leads an ill-prepared Natalie into a major company upheaval (there’s upwards of 30 names to be terminated), we see that Bingham cares for her in a fatherly way. The opposite’s also true, as Natalie lectures him on his solitude and the chance he could be blowing with Alex. 

Indie Tones with Studio Reach

But under it all, “Up in the Air” has much to offer. It is the kind of meaningful production that comes from good inspiration and thoughtful performances. The first half is cynical and cold (mixed with comedy). And while the second half careens into predictability, it still leaves us with an odd warmth. The scenes with Bingham at home with his family feel small town. They could have fit into an independent feature with ease, not one with a $25M budget from a major studio. Kendrick and Farmiga are good, but Clooney is great. In an odd way, his greatness comes from his willingness to hold back and not simply play George Clooney. His swagger, clothes, and panache are familiar. But under it all—through subtle glances, still moments, family talks, and quiet growth—Clooney makes Bingham something more. 

“Up in the Air” is not perfect, but it’s nonetheless great. Its ending leaves a bit up to the imagination, and presents yet another ‘fork-in-the-road’ type finale we’ve seen before. But by the end, having followed our protagonist for almost 2 hours, we want Ryan Bingham to be okay. That’s saying a lot for a film that starts as a practice in impersonality and corporate hatchet-men, but ends with a job interview and a reference letter that we allow to change our minds. Some of the takeaways are cliché, but nonetheless—Reitman, Clooney, et al. present a picture that is bittersweet and soulful, pulled out of the least likely material possible. If you get the chance, a film worthy to check out. 

“Up in the Air” is available to stream on Netflix, or rent from various streaming services.