December 26, 2009 -- “Up in the Air” is a movie that seems tied to a particular time and place, here and now, and a specific lifestyle that is high above most people. As such it is as much a commentary on our current economic situation as it is about the characters in the story. We live in uncertain times with an uncertain future. We don't know if our job will still be there tomorrow, or if we will still have health care, or a house to live in. This is a story about uncertain times.

Nobody likes to fire people. You don't know how they are going to react, but they often react emotionally, sometimes violently. That is Ryan Bingham's job. He fires people. He flies all over the country to fire people. It isn't a pleasant job, but he handles it well. He concentrates on the amenities his job provides, first class seats and preferred passenger amenities provided by airlines and hotels. Since he travels almost all the time he considers airliners and hotels to be his home. He rents a small hotel room in Omaha where he stays when he isn't traveling, but it is not all that different from the places he stays when he is traveling. Ryan also gives lectures about how to live as a traveler, with a light suitcase carrying only the essentials. He also advocates getting rid of extra possessions and most relationships with people. He is a rock. He is an island. He's a lot like the character that Hugh Grant played in “About a Boy,” except that he works for a living.

Ryan seems perfectly happy with few possessions and few attachments. He is the proverbial rolling stone. Then, he is challenged by a young colleague, Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick of “Twilight”) and a new friend, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga of “The Departed”), a woman he meets in his travels. Alex is a traveler like Ryan, with a similar attitude about not being tied down. Natalie, however, is a romantic. She doesn't see how Ryan cannot be tempted to settle down. Natalie tells Ryan he is emotionally stunted. Alex has a different kind of surprise for Ryan.

Natalie comes up with a computer program to cut travel costs. Instead of firing people face to face, it will be done by a two-way internet conference hookup. The potential cost savings of this approach are enormous. Ryan doesn't like the idea and he gives Natalie some practical demonstrations of the shortcomings of firings by internet. Natalie starts traveling with Ryan to learn the ropes of the business in order to better refine her software. She learns a lot from Ryan about the human side of the business, and she has a few lessons for Ryan, too.

Under assault from Natalie and Alex, Ryan's carefully constructed world starts to fall apart. He begins to yearn for that emotional baggage he's been trying to avoid. If Natalie's plans are adopted by his company, his traveling days are over. What will he do then? Like the people he fires, Ryan's future is now filled with uncertainty, and he lacks the human network he needs to provide support in this time of crisis. The performances by all the main characters are outstanding in this contemporary morality play. This film rates an A.

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Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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