contemporary world cinema for salmon arm |
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Up In The Air
Country: USA
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Fans of Jason Reitman's previous 2 features, Thank You for Smoking and Juno , will be both surprised and reassured by Up in the Air . In this film he has delved into even more complex and timely psycho-social territory. Based on the novel by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air offers darkly humourous insights into corporate America and male mid-life crisis. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a “career transition consultant” --essentially someone who fires people for a living. Hired by downsizing firms to make the personal, well, impersonal, Bingham, in his perfectly tailored suits and professionally remote manner, aces the task. Bingham's one real emotional investment is in his mastery of business travel. One day the boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) introduces him to their newest colleague, the aptly named Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) who wants to revolutionize the transition industry by using video conferencing out of corporate headquarters. Bingham is horrified, not only because this signals a trivialization of his skills, but also because his travel will stop. This traumatic turn of events also occurs just as Bingham falls for a fellow traveler Alex (Vera Farmiga, The Departed ). While smart, sexy and very funny, Reitman's film is so exquisitely timed, so filled with multifaceted characters and plot twists, that it perfectly captures the zeitgeist of America's current social and economic turmoil. It's rare to find a romantic comedy that is smart, and where the dialogue is the funniest thing about the movie and where the woman is equal to the man.” Canwest News Service |
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