‘Up in the Air’ raises flaps, questions

CASEY PHILLIPS: “Up in the Air” is “Juno” director Jason Reitman’s return to the chair, and he has turned out a beautifully shot film that takes a witty, philosophical look at the most fascinating job no one wants.

George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a professional firer who delights in a life that has no roots and no lasting personal relationships. That is, until he meets Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), maybe the one woman on Earth who seems to embrace nomadic life the way he does.

Clooney and Farmiga have an incredible chemistry, one that is alternatively smoldering and confidential. Their shared moments are generally brief, but they’re separated by stretches of fantastically shot scenes with interesting camera angles. When they finally come back together, they shine.

HOLLY LEBER: Anna Kendrick co-stars as Natalie Keener, a fresh-out-of-college whippersnapper. At first glance, she is a poised, efficient, intelligent young woman who will soon take the world by storm. She’s then revealed to be a twit who knows next to nothing. She becomes more likable as she slowly accepts that she’s in a learning time of life.

The film offers different perspectives of what it means to be a functioning adult, with no stellar example. There isn’t a hero in this movie; the characters are layered and flawed, which makes them more interesting to watch, if less appealing.

CASEY: Clooney’s character’s journey is an interesting one as well. Bingham has operated so long with a dogmatic, devil-may-care attitude toward a settled existence that he’s convinced himself he believes in it. Thanks to Goran and Keener, however, he is forced to perform an uncomfortable re-evaluation of what he wants from life. Bingham’s existence is clearly up in the air in more than one sense, which is fascinating since his job is basically to take away certainty in other people’s lives as well.

HOLLY: Other than a few cameos, most of the firing scenes were shot with actual people who had recently lost their jobs. Director Reitman has been quoted as saying that the scenes he’d written about job loss felt inadequate and that having real people react to the lines written for Clooney’s and Kendrick’s characters gave the scenes a more genuine feel.

The platitudes delivered by the characters, basically different versions of “one door closes, another opens” are at once inspiring and offensive. It’s a well-timed film, obviously. I’m not sure I would recommend this movie to anyone who has recently become unemployed against his will, however. Unless, of course, you’re looking for a reason to want to punch George Clooney in the face.

CASEY: “Up in the Air” is intriguing, if not mind-blowingly original, and definitely one of the most interesting films this season.