Up in the Air Clip

Up in the Air: The Movie That's Gonna Make You Forget About Juno

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (25)

Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air premiered over the weekend at the Telluride Film Festival, and by all accounts (or at least the ones I’ve read), the movie was phenomenal and looks likely to be in the thick of it come Oscar season, and not just for best actor (George Clooney), best picture, and best director, but perhaps best supporting actress to, for Anna Kendrick’s performance. (She’s from Portland, Maine; she was in Rocket Science, and she is kick-your-momma awesome. You heard it here first: She’s gonna huge in two years or sooner).

Up in the Air also looks as though it will establish Reitman as one of the best directors in Hollywood. He was a little overshadowed with his other movies (by Diablo Cody and Ellen Page in Juno, and by both the performance of Aaron Eckhart and the stupid Katie Holmes flap with Thank You for Smoking). I suspect — despite the presence of George Clooney and the upstart, Kendrick — that Reitman will get his due for Up in the Air. It’s been a Reitman picture all along — never a Clooney one.

The movie will debut later this fall, and a trailer should be along soon. But in the meantime, we will have to settle for this short clip, an exchange between Clooney and Vera Farmiga.

Synopsis: George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a 35 year old a career transition counselor at a Denver-based management consulting company, Integrated Strategic Management (ISM). Ryan travels around the country to terminate corporate employees. He does not have a personal life and he numbs himself with sex, booze and drugs. His life on the road comes to a halt when his company downsizes its travel budget. He is required to spend more time at home just as he is on the cusp of a goal hes worked toward for years: reaching five million frequent flyer miles and just after hes met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

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George Clooney will get nominated, but he won't win the Oscar. The academy never seems to give the pretty boys 'n babes the old gold statue, no matter how deserving they are. (Seriously, Academy, why the fuck didn't Brad Pitt get a nomination and win for Fight Club?)

Posted by: George at September 8, 2009 6:05 PM

Okay, I know Clooney won for Syriana, but it was for Best Supporting Actor, and Brad Pitt still has never gotten an Oscar.

Posted by: George at September 8, 2009 6:06 PM

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Clooney, but we're supposed to believe he's 35?? Are they serious??

Posted by: gelis at September 8, 2009 6:14 PM

Um OMG, Anna Kendrick was in Rocket Science, not Bottle Rocket. Further violation: she also plays Jessica in the Twilight movies.

Posted by: imdb police, twilight division at September 8, 2009 6:22 PM

"35 year old"

What.

Posted by: Mick J at September 8, 2009 6:24 PM

He'll be 35 forever.

Posted by: superasente at September 8, 2009 6:27 PM

Two things about Anna Kendrick: a search of IMDB tells me she was in Rocket Science, not Bottle Rocket, as she would have been a little fingerling when Bottle Rocket came out. Also, I love how you're neglecting to mention that she was in Twilight.

Also, that's one hell of a picture of Vera Farmiga. I find her very enigmatic. She's weird, and her roles have kind of been all over the place, but I kind of like her. But damn she's weird.

Posted by: MM at September 8, 2009 6:28 PM

Couldn't they have just said 40? Would that be so hard?

Anyway I've heard that the rest of the movie is quality and the romance storyline is only a small part of it, they just need to rope in as many viewers as possible because people are stupid ("Oh George Clooney! Rom com! Faaabulous!").

Posted by: Mick J at September 8, 2009 6:29 PM

I'd think imdb police, twilight division was mocking me, except that he/she/it posted first.

Ah well. And George Clooney will be sexy forever, but he will not be 35 forever. Or ever again.

Posted by: MM at September 8, 2009 6:31 PM

This is also an adaptation of a novel by the same author as Thumbsucker, which kind of bombed but is another offbeat character piece. I'm hopeful.

Posted by: Caroline at September 8, 2009 6:42 PM

First of all, I thought Clooney playing 35 was a typo, but I guess I'm wrong.

Also, I like Anna Kendrick as Fritzi in Camp.

Just me?

Posted by: myysharona (formerly Sharon) at September 8, 2009 7:08 PM

They filmed this in my town (STL) and, let me tell you, the crew was definitely a class act. George Clooney stayed at the hotel my boyfriend's restaurant is attached to and, by all accounts, he was cool as hell. I also have a few friends who managed to snag their Equity card with one line bits in this, so I'm glad the movie looks good.

Posted by: Cherry at September 8, 2009 7:50 PM

Love love love love Vera.... will watch whatever she's in and mostly because, yes, she's not your typical one-diminsh actress. Yes, I suppose that makes her weird.. and soooo watchable.

Posted by: angela at September 8, 2009 7:57 PM

I'm SO glad the buzz is good. I'm sorry, but Anna Kendrick fucking stole every moment she had in Twilight. As soon as I saw it and IMDB'd her and saw she was gonna be in this, I knew she'd hit big soon. Also, she was like, the second youngest actress to get a Tony nomination. She's the shit.

As is everyone else in the movie. Love me some Vera.

Posted by: whatBENwatches at September 8, 2009 8:27 PM

Holy shit! Ive read this book! It was pretty fantastic. Can't wait

Posted by: PandemicSymphony at September 8, 2009 8:46 PM

Forget about Juno??? Oh, don't tease. Its cruel. If only that could be scrubbed from my brain.

Posted by: Kate at September 8, 2009 9:22 PM

Yeah, you know you're getting old when Clooney is playing a guy only a year older than you. This is depressing.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at September 8, 2009 9:26 PM

I already forgot about Juno when I remembered Little Miss Sunshine.

Posted by: Agente Provocatrice at September 8, 2009 9:48 PM

Sorry, is that Anna Kendricks in the photo? Cause, damn.

Posted by: karstark at September 9, 2009 1:43 AM

Ugh. I'll defer to those who've seen the whole thing, but that was an example of a script straining to be clever.

Posted by: sansho1 at September 9, 2009 5:51 AM

Now all things being equal, if George Clooney is getting a pass portraying someone 35 (48) years old, does that mean I can claim to be 22? I'm sure I have about the same chance of pulling off that illusion.

Seriously, would it have killed them to say he was 45 or even 48? I mean it would make the whole 5 million flier miles plot seem more realistic anyway. I might even argue his true age might make the aforementioned plot more compelling. I cannot imagine how that specific age might be critical to the overall plot. If it is, then perhaps he was not the best choice at being cast despite his ability and appeal.

Look at From Dusk 'till Dawn if you want to see him at 35. Yes he still looks good in the present but clearly there's a big difference. He'd look damn haggard by comparison if he had really looked like this in his mid- 30's.

Posted by: bleujayone at September 9, 2009 9:18 AM

Oh it BETTER make me forget about Juno. Reitman is tied between that and Thank You For Smoking. I'm hoping this one goes into the same win column as Smoking, because that clip really did it for me.

Posted by: Doctor Controversy at September 9, 2009 10:29 AM

Vera Farmiga is so completely smoking. I watched The Departed again this weekend, and she's definitely a highlight. She also made Orphan way better than it should have been.

Posted by: Snath at September 9, 2009 10:53 AM

That picture of Vera Farmiga makes me feel warm in my nether-regions. Boy, she is yummier than a box of Flintstone Pushups.

Posted by: Continental Almonds at September 9, 2009 10:59 AM

Clooney playing 35 is still progress. Leslie Howard played ROMEO when he was 43. Baby steps.

I work for driven corporate guys who are all about the airmiles. As far as I've seen, they numb themselves with work, work and more work, but I guess a guy checking his BlackBerry isn't much of a movie.

Posted by: Henry at September 9, 2009 12:33 PM

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Up in the Air: The Movie That's Gonna Make You Forget About Juno

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