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Dec 25, 2016Stratified_nomad rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Even though it was released more than 6 years ago, Up in the Air is still a relevant and quietly resonant film. It centers around around Ryan Bingham (Clooney): a smug, but likable professional personnel downsizer who lives for travel and touts an unapologetically single and Spartan lifestyle. Much like the people he fires, the itinerant nature of his job is threatened by technological developments spearheaded by a young coworker, Natalie Keener (Kendrick), who also contrasts Bingham by striving for a normal family life. Their contrasting philosophies and related arguments are highly engaging. The only minor criticisms I have occurs in the film's second act, when Bingham has doubts about his philosophy, causing him to do something with potentially dire consequences. This element of the film seems contrived and unnecessary, but fortunately it's only a minor flaw that does little to diminish the film's overall quality. Though it deals with contemporary themes, Up in the Air is very much a throwback to when Hollywood made mature plot and character oriented films that develop naturally. Sadly such films are exceedingly rare these days.