THE FIRST HALF -- George Clooney is among actors past and present -- Cary Grant, John Wayne, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood -- whose persona is part of the performance.
Clooney's is closer to Cary Grant's, debonair to the point of winking at the camera, but like Grant, he's also capable of powerful work that pushes the persona to the background.
I wish he'd do more of that. "Oceans Eleven" was fun, but Clooney is best when he's not the clever charmer: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" "Syriana," "Good Night, Good Luck."
In "Up in the Air," Clooney offers a little of both. As Ryan Bingham, a traveling hatchet man who fires people for other companies, he's a committed bachelor with no attachments.
His home is the airport, many airports, and he revels in his kingdom of insider privilege and status. His apartment back in Omaha is a barren place to sleep and nothing more.
Ryan embraces the lifestyle until it is upended by the arrival of two women: a young, zipped up hotshot (Anna Kendrick) who wants to end road firings in favor of video, and a frequent flier soulmate (Vera Farmiga) for whom a platinum card is a turn-on. Both bring an emotional connection on some level, and Ryan's world gains baggage he may or may not desire.
Clooney strikes a fine balance, never falling into the sentimentality of regretting his chosen life, and director Jason Reitman strikes a fine tone in creating both a sterile and comforting world.
This is a movie that glides along smoothly, never shaking you up or drawing you in deeply. But Clooney's subtle sadness, (his persona feeling bummed), brings a quiet power. Three-and-a-half Hearts.
THE BETTER HALF -- Perhaps some critics inhaled too much helium, and that's why they've overblown their praise of "Up in the Air."
I'm not sure why this dramedy about corporate downsizing has become the critical darling it has, because frankly, it's good but not superb.
To the average moviegoer, "Up in the Air" is certainly not going to go down in history as the decade-defining film some critics would have you think it is.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has a job most people would hate, but that he actually likes: firing strangers for a living. Corporations hire him to do their dirty work, and he flies from city to city handing out pink slips and well-scripted bull to devastated people he'll never lay eyes on again.
Ryan loves the travel and upgraded perks he gets at VIP lounges, car rental agencies and hotels. His ultimate goal is to reach the almost-unheard-of frequent flyer mark of 10 million miles.
But when Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a young newbie efficiency expert, comes up with a plan to fire people by computer link from the home office, Ryan is thrown off track, to say the least. He sets out to show Natalie that the old-fashioned way is better by taking her on the road.
Along the way, we see how sad and disconnected the glib Ryan's life is, and how technology has made young people like Natalie clueless to the realities of face-to-face life.
But overall, while "Up in the Air" is engaging, it's not insightful or heartfelt enough to really soar. Three-and-a-half Hearts.
Until next time, keep walking down the aisle ... Married to the Movies.
Clooney's is closer to Cary Grant's, debonair to the point of winking at the camera, but like Grant, he's also capable of powerful work that pushes the persona to the background.
I wish he'd do more of that. "Oceans Eleven" was fun, but Clooney is best when he's not the clever charmer: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" "Syriana," "Good Night, Good Luck."
In "Up in the Air," Clooney offers a little of both. As Ryan Bingham, a traveling hatchet man who fires people for other companies, he's a committed bachelor with no attachments.
His home is the airport, many airports, and he revels in his kingdom of insider privilege and status. His apartment back in Omaha is a barren place to sleep and nothing more.
Ryan embraces the lifestyle until it is upended by the arrival of two women: a young, zipped up hotshot (Anna Kendrick) who wants to end road firings in favor of video, and a frequent flier soulmate (Vera Farmiga) for whom a platinum card is a turn-on. Both bring an emotional connection on some level, and Ryan's world gains baggage he may or may not desire.
Clooney strikes a fine balance, never falling into the sentimentality of regretting his chosen life, and director Jason Reitman strikes a fine tone in creating both a sterile and comforting world.
This is a movie that glides along smoothly, never shaking you up or drawing you in deeply. But Clooney's subtle sadness, (his persona feeling bummed), brings a quiet power. Three-and-a-half Hearts.
THE BETTER HALF -- Perhaps some critics inhaled too much helium, and that's why they've overblown their praise of "Up in the Air."
I'm not sure why this dramedy about corporate downsizing has become the critical darling it has, because frankly, it's good but not superb.
To the average moviegoer, "Up in the Air" is certainly not going to go down in history as the decade-defining film some critics would have you think it is.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has a job most people would hate, but that he actually likes: firing strangers for a living. Corporations hire him to do their dirty work, and he flies from city to city handing out pink slips and well-scripted bull to devastated people he'll never lay eyes on again.
Ryan loves the travel and upgraded perks he gets at VIP lounges, car rental agencies and hotels. His ultimate goal is to reach the almost-unheard-of frequent flyer mark of 10 million miles.
But when Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a young newbie efficiency expert, comes up with a plan to fire people by computer link from the home office, Ryan is thrown off track, to say the least. He sets out to show Natalie that the old-fashioned way is better by taking her on the road.
Along the way, we see how sad and disconnected the glib Ryan's life is, and how technology has made young people like Natalie clueless to the realities of face-to-face life.
But overall, while "Up in the Air" is engaging, it's not insightful or heartfelt enough to really soar. Three-and-a-half Hearts.
Until next time, keep walking down the aisle ... Married to the Movies.
