The Freak's Rating: A- : George Clooney has never been one of my favorite actors. With a few good turns on E.R., he quickly became the man of the hour. Toss in a People Magazine's sexiest man of the year and all of a sudden we have a superstar on our hands. Playing into that image far more than I would have liked, bringing such trash to the screen as Batman & Robin, The Peacemaker abd Three Kings. After that Clooney began a stretch of decent films, including The Ocean's Eleven trilogy, O Brother Where Art Thou and Good Night Good Luck. He has been up and down with his career moves.Clooney also appears to be the same character in every film. He has wit, humor and sarcasm, with just a shred of condescention. He is likeable, and thus he makes box office millions. Last year's turn as Micheal Clayton gave Clooney an Oscar nod, though I would have argued others were more deserving. Despite my mediocre feeling towards the man, he is starting to turn my opinions around now, most notably for the performance he gives here, in Up In The Air.
A film based on the "traveling salesman" gimmick, with a twist. This traveling salesman is the one you do NOT want to see walk into your company. Having no experience in a massive corporation as the operator of a small business, I can't say with certainty if the realism is truly there as far as it being a logical choice to pay someone else to fire your employees. It does allow you to distance yourself quite nicely though, so the appeal is no doubt there for managers who just can't stomach the operation.
The writing and direction here is quite sharp, as you would expect from Jason Reitman (director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking). Characters have life in them, wear their personalities on their sleeves, with the exception of our lead, who stays a tad mysterious on his thoughts through the first half of the picture up to an ultimate reveal in the second.
Recently the Golden Globes awarded Reitman for his writing here. Though it doesn't hold a candle to the work Quentin Tarantino did on Inglourious Basterds, it is quite good and deserving of merit. The real spotlight here should be on the lead performers. Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick do an excellent job in each of their parts. Direction is tight throughout and we've definitely found ourselves a future filmmaker we will adore. This film will surely be up for a number of awards in a couple months, and deserve many of the trophies it receives.
Brian's Rating: A : I had no idea I was going to like this movie. I kept procrastinating from watching it because I thought it was going to be a complete bore. I was surprised to find that I loved it. I can see why its getting all sorts of acclaim. Also, its the type of movie that every single person on this planet would like.
I loved the way this movie ended. It ties you into the characters, and as an audience we are connected throughout the entire film to every single emotional nuance. Ever single line of dialog was engaging, not suspenseful--like Inglorius Basterds long scenes dripping with tension--but instead captivating in a way that makes you always want to know what is going to immediately happen next. This movie does not have a "slow" part like many dramas do.
This is clearly a recommendation. Everybody should see it, as it clearly stands out as one of the best movies of 2009 for me.
