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Before Jason Reitman's film plunges into deeper waters, it seduces us with some of the most darkly hilarious moments to grace the screen in years.

By Stephen Farber

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Up in the Air

Here are a few of the kinds of movies that I wish Hollywood made more often (like, you know, two or three times a year): a drama that connects to an audience because it taps, in a bold and immediate way, into the fears and anxieties of our time; a romantic comedy in which the dialogue pings with stylish wit and verve; a film that keeps surprising us because its characters keep surprising themselves. The beauty of Up in the Air is that it’s all those things at once. Adapted from Walter Kirn’s 2001 novel, it’s a rare and sparkling gem of a movie, directed by Jason Reitman ( Juno ) with the polish of a master.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), the film’s debonair hero, is a new kind of no-sweat corporate executioner. Each day, he walks into a different office somewhere in the United States — Wichita, Detroit, St. Louis — and gets a list of employees who are about to be downsized. One by one, he sits opposite each of them, bringing them the bad news that their bosses are too weaselly to deliver personally. The victims are mostly hardworking middle managers who’ve been let go because of the economy. None of them ”deserves” to be fired, and so their reactions — terror, confusion, rage, despair — are notably intense, even as Ryan reassures them that opportunities await, that this is a beginning not an ending, and blah blah blah. (He’s also a part-time motivational speaker, pepping up the very sorts of people he fires.)

Elevated detachment is what Ryan is all about. I mean literally elevated, since most of what he does is fly around the country, hopping from one frictionless job to the next. He’s got a dozen passkeys to a dozen airport VIP lounges, boutique rent-a-car deals, and high-end cookie-cutter hotels, and the quick swipe of one of those cards expresses the joy he feels at living more or less his entire existence on the road. Ryan is a pure product of the new America, an addict for a life in which everything is systemized. He’s also hooked on frequent-flier miles, which he regards with nearly poetic aspiration (he’s out to collect a magically large number of them).

If Ryan had been played by anyone but George Clooney, we might not believe in (or like) him. But Clooney, with his effortless, cracklingly smart yet maybe slightly-too-polished charm, knows here, as he did in Michael Clayton , how to play a rogue who’s in danger of losing his soul yet holds on to it anyway. In Up in the Air , Clooney gives his most fully felt performance to date as a smooth hedonist who comes to realize that he may be drowning. This is movie-star acting of the sort that no one else today can bring off.

Ryan’s troubles begin when Natalie (Anna Kendrick), the new bottom-line chipmunk at his firm, comes up with the ”advanced” ? notion of doing away with the traveling-?axman system so that the firings can instead take place over the Internet. Since Ryan the happy vagabond doesn’t want his lifestyle to change, he takes this young climber out on the road and shows her how downsizing with humanity is done. Kendrick is a fast-talking delight (she keeps revealing more layers), but there isn’t meant to be a romantic spark to their sparring. Ryan saves that for Alex, his sexy counterpart in corporate travel — and a role that finally gives Vera Farmiga the chance to show off the biting, sharp-eyed sensuality that makes her irresistible. She’s the homespun vixen next door. Clooney and Farmiga are fantastic together: Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell for the PowerPoint age.

The ”interviews” that Ryan does with the folks he fires give you a chill. They’re a vision of what’s going on in the country today, and Up in the Air is the rare film that does justice to economic desperation by expressing it with an honest populist embrace. At the same time, it’s a movie about how one man living inside the cocoon of an overly detached culture comes to see the error of his own detachment. Up in the Air is light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real. It’s everything that Hollywood has forgotten how to do; we’re blessed that Jason Reitman has remembered. A

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Up in the Air helped shape my future and made me want to get a job that allows me travel around the world and the United States. It's really funny but also heartbreaking following the 2008 recession. George Clooney at his best in my opinion. I want to watch it again right now. I might do that.

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Review: 'up in the air' a rare gem.

"Up in the Air" is directed by "Juno's" Jason Reitman with the polish of a master
Clooney's acting is effortless, Anna Kendrick's layered and Farmiga is irresistible
Focusing on a traveling axman, "Up" is a chilling reflection of recent layoffs
Reitman's work manages to be both light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real

(Entertainment Weekly) -- Here are a few of the kinds of movies that I wish Hollywood made more often (like, you know, two or three times a year): a drama that connects to an audience because it taps, in a bold and immediate way, into the fears and anxieties of our time; a romantic comedy in which the dialogue pings with stylish wit and verve; a film that keeps surprising us because its characters keep surprising themselves.

The beauty of "Up in the Air" is that it's all those things at once. Adapted from Walter Kirn's 2001 novel, it's a rare and sparkling gem of a movie, directed by Jason Reitman ("Juno") with the polish of a master.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), the film's debonair hero, is a new kind of no-sweat corporate executioner. Each day, he walks into a different office somewhere in the United States -- Wichita, Detroit, St. Louis -- and gets a list of employees who are about to be downsized. One by one, he sits opposite each of them, bringing them the bad news that their bosses are too weaselly to deliver personally.

The victims are mostly hardworking middle managers who've been let go because of the economy. None of them ''deserves'' to be fired, and so their reactions -- terror, confusion, rage, despair -- are notably intense, even as Ryan reassures them that opportunities await, that this is a beginning not an ending, and blah blah blah. (He's also a part-time motivational speaker, pepping up the very sorts of people he fires.)

Elevated detachment is what Ryan is all about. I mean literally elevated, since most of what he does is fly around the country, hopping from one frictionless job to the next. He's got a dozen passkeys to a dozen airport VIP lounges, boutique rent-a-car deals, and high-end cookie-cutter hotels, and the quick swipe of one of those cards expresses the joy he feels at living more or less his entire existence on the road.

Ryan is a pure product of the new America, an addict for a life in which everything is systemized. He's also hooked on frequent-flier miles, which he regards with nearly poetic aspiration (he's out to collect a magically large number of them).

In "Up in the Air," Clooney gives his most fully felt performance to date as a smooth hedonist who comes to realize that he may be drowning. This is movie-star acting of the sort that no one else today can bring off.

Ryan's troubles begin when Natalie ( Anna Kendrick ), the new bottom-line chipmunk at his firm, comes up with the ''advanced'' notion of doing away with the traveling-axman system so that the firings can instead take place over the Internet. Since Ryan the happy vagabond doesn't want his lifestyle to change, he takes this young climber out on the road and shows her how downsizing with humanity is done.

Kendrick is a fast-talking delight (she keeps revealing more layers), but there isn't meant to be a romantic spark to their sparring. Ryan saves that for Alex, his sexy counterpart in corporate travel -- and a role that finally gives Vera Farmiga the chance to show off the biting, sharp-eyed sensuality that makes her irresistible. She's the homespun vixen next door. Clooney and Farmiga are fantastic together: Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell for the PowerPoint age.

The ''interviews'' that Ryan does with the folks he fires give you a chill. They're a vision of what's going on in the country today, and "Up in the Air" is the rare film that does justice to economic desperation by expressing it with an honest populist embrace. At the same time, it's a movie about how one man living inside the cocoon of an overly detached culture comes to see the error of his own detachment.

"Up in the Air" is light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real. It's everything that Hollywood has forgotten how to do; we're blessed that Jason Reitman has remembered.

EW Grade: A

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Up in the Air Reviews

Where 'Up in the Air' soars is in the way it captures Ryan's rhythm, the elegant precision of his comforting ritual, the smooth familiarity of his life-in-transition existence.

Full Review | Oct 6, 2023

A painful, intelligent, and darkly comic drama that will affect you regardless of how you choose to interpret it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 28, 2023

Clooney's portrayal if this terminal man is exemplary on every count. He is a man of and for our times. So too is this year's finest movie.

Full Review | Mar 22, 2021

There are large chunks of the screenplay that feel like a black comedy waiting to break out, but Cody is too self-aware to carry that all the way and Reitman is far too determined to really say something you guys to let that aspect loose.

Full Review | Feb 10, 2021

Up in the Air is as slick and polished as its protagonist... Yet whereas the closer you look at Clooney's Ryan the more you uncover his moral vacancy, when you dig more deeply into the film itself you discover its heart.

Full Review | Nov 30, 2020

Manages an upbeat tone and entertaining outlook, even as it falls victim to standard romantic comedy clichés.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 29, 2020

I love this movie. It is so well written

Full Review | Sep 29, 2020

Easily one of 2009's best films.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 26, 2020

...Up in the Air is still a beautifully written film with a trio of powerhouse performances.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | May 6, 2020

Up in the Air fails because Reitman crams too many stories and situations into one picture.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 12, 2019

The film itself is such an essential historical product of our time that it's hard to root against it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 7, 2019

Jason Reitman raises the bar with a beautifully crafted film that is smart, topical, funny and just a little bittersweet. It's a perfect mix for a film that proves to be the very best of 2009.

Full Review | Original Score: A | May 11, 2019

Up in the Air makes a sharp case that even the most shallow-seeming have a deep need for connection and love.

Full Review | Oct 8, 2018

We always know just where this film is going... . But as co-written and directed by Jason Reitman, the plot's twists are so delicious and the dialogue so inventively perfect it doesn't matter a jot.

Full Review | Aug 30, 2018

A slick, cute, diverting, superbly-acted film but also an empty one due to the picture's raison d'être: a one-trick pony concerned solely with lack of commitment.

Full Review | Jan 16, 2018

Up in the Air is sentimental, but that doesn't mean it's simplistic. In fact, the movie plays at some interesting contradictions. It is a genuinely funny movie about genuinely depressing times.

Full Review | Sep 18, 2017

At the end of the day, Up In The Air makes us think about the importance of having someone to come home to and how we define ourselves on the job.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Sep 12, 2017

The Jason Reitman-directed Up In The Air (an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Walter Kim) actually engaged me from start to finish, and dare I say, moved me.

Full Review | Aug 15, 2017

Even though the film finally turns out to be yet another Hollywood fairy tale, at least it speaks the truth about our Great Recession.

Full Review | Oct 7, 2015

vibrantly witty and exceptionally delivered

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 11, 2015

The 10 Worst Action Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert

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Fast-paced, attention-grabbing, and structured chaos are key elements to succeeding in the action genre. For the passionate critic, Roger Ebert , the worst action films lack all three and more. Emboldened by features that utilize action to energize and elevate a dramatic or comedic premise, Ebert raved about movies like Indiana Jones , Rocky , Bullit , and Lethal Weapon . Purpose-driven action movies are exciting because they secure the full package. Where the worst action movies fail is in their originality shortfalls, lack of character development, and often poor performances.

As with any genre assessed by Ebert, he never shied away from a hot take, with one of his most divisive opinions about the fan favorite, Kick-Ass , asking his readers, "Shall I have feelings, or should I pretend to be cool?" Ebert's choices for the worst action movies of all time include violent revenge stories, superhero flops, raging road races, and wild Westerns.

10 'Fantastic Four' (2005)

Directed by tim story.

Lacking a compelling story, this superhero action film missed the mark, garnering an audience consensus that mirrored Ebert's opinion. Based on the Marvel characters, Fantastic Four is the origin story of four astronauts ( Ioan Gruffudd , Michael Chiklis , Jessica Alba , and Chris Evans ) who are exposed to cosmic radiation, the side effects giving them varying superpowers. Once a friend turned to foe, Dr. Victor Von Doom ( Julian McMahon ) seeks to use their newfound powers for his gain. In his one-star review , Ebert declared that the action movie should be "ashamed to show itself in the same theaters" as iconic (and better) superhero movies like Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 .

"I wasn't watching 'Fantastic Four' to study it, but to be entertained by it, but how could I be amazed by a movie that makes its own characters so indifferent about themselves?"

His biggest issue was how unamused and underwhelmed the characters were with their own transformations, as if they were everyday occurrences. Lacking any sort of premise-driving excitement, Fantastic Four fizzled out for every moviegoer. With failed reboots and the excitement of the upcoming attempt to relaunch these characters, it's curious how Ebert would have fared with today's cinematic approach to the superhero genre.

Fantastic Four (2005)

Not available

A group of astronauts gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and must use them to oppose the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom.

9 'Wild Wild West' (1999)

Directed by barry sonnenfeld.

Kevin Kline and Will Smith in Wild Wild West

A Western action film that audiences have deemed so bad, it's good , Ebert wouldn't say the same for Wild Wild West . Will Smith and Kevin Kline bring steampunk action to the Old West, starring as special agents James West and Artemus Gordon to stop the Confederate Dr. Arliss Loveless ( Kenneth Branagh ) from assassinating President Ulysses S. Grant (also played by Kline). In Ebert's words, Wild Wild West is a "comedy dead zone" with zero chemistry from its leads and too many zany elements that just don't work.

"You stare in disbelief as scenes flop and die. The movie is all concept and no content; the elaborate special effects are like watching money burn on the screen."

There are no rules in Wild Wild West , making the action sequences all the more unrealistic as they defy science and logic , but as the acclaimed critic pointed out, "In a movie where anything can happen, does it matter that anything does?" Ebert's one-star review playfully points out that the action movie breaks two of his golden rules regarding casting choices. A movie you need to see to believe, Ebert would advise against it.

Wild Wild West

Two Secret Service agents combine their unique skills to thwart a diabolical plot by a vengeful Confederate scientist. Set in the post-Civil War era, the film blends steampunk gadgets with Western action, delivering a comedic adventure as the duo navigates bizarre dangers and outrageous situations to protect the president.

8 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' (1970)

Directed by richard fleischer, kinji fukasaku, & toshio masuda.

Tora! Tora! Tora! Yamamoto and other officers

A "timid epic," Tora! Tora! Tora! sought to dramatically recount the events of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor; however, Ebert criticized it for being "a big, incredibly expensive movie" without any substance . His one-star review compared the sub-par warfare action and technical ineptitude to John Wayne films, indicating that at least with the Duke's films there was a genre and stylistic payoff even if they were historically inaccurate.

"The action sequences at the end are supposed to be the pay-off; we're all waiting, somewhat ghoulishly, for the bombs to go off and the ships to sink. And they do, for about 15 minutes, but the level of the special effects isn't particularly high."

While he acknowledges that there's no mystery in the major climactic event because audiences know it's coming , Tora! Tora! Tora! failed to present viewers with much else besides the bureaucratic missteps that led up to it. Audiences weren't given characters to identify with or root for while also seemingly walking away with no more information than they walked in with.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

The story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.

Watch on Apple TV+

7 'Death Rides a Horse' (1967)

Directed by giulio petroni.

Lee Van Cleef tends to his horse while peering over his shoulder in a fresh graveyard in Death Rides a Horse

Despite rating it as one of the worst action-Western films, Ebert acknowledges the fun of screening a definitively bad movie . Death Rides a Horse is a formulaic genre film about a gunfighter ( John Phillip Law ) on a quest to find the bandits who killed his family, enlisting the help of an ex-outlaw ( Lee Van Cleef ) on his own revenge tour along the way. While it's established as one of the best spaghetti Westerns of all time in the eyes of audiences, Ebert only awarded the movie one star in his review.

"Van Cleef's face, in closeup, has the lean, hardened, embittered expression of a man who has either (a) been pursuing his lonely vengeance across the plains of the West for 30 years, or (b) realizes he will be making spaghetti Westerns the rest of his life. These two feelings are nearly indiscernible."

Even though his opinion establishes Death Rides a Horse as one of the worst action movies of all time, Ebert respects the experience of watching a film of this style and caliber. He acknowledges how easy it is to surrender oneself to the movie while simultaneously distracted by poor production elements.

Watch on Tubi

6 'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot' (1992)

Directed by roger spottiswoode.

Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty as Joe and Tutti Bomowski in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

A movie title that sounds fake but is actually rea l, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot appeared to be a desperation role for Sylvester Stallone in the eyes of audiences and a disheartened Ebert. Sly is Police Sergeant Joe Bomowski, whose mother, Tutti ( Estelle Getty ), flies in to visit following Joe's breakup, comedically inserting herself into his personal life and career. In his half-star review , Ebert declared he couldn't find a single laugh, calling it a "no-brainer" action movie.

"'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot' is one of those movies so dimwitted, so utterly lacking in even the smallest morsel of redeeming value, that you stare at the screen in stunned disbelief."

Competing with the likes of his action-star professional adversary, Arnold Schwarzenegger 's Kindergarten Cop , Sly's agreement to do this film was disappointing to Ebert as the critic recognized Sly's comedic and cinematic potential. Ebert called the bits and sequences "unfunny" and "unoriginal," making Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot one of the worst action-comedy movies of all time.

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

5 'revolver' (2005), directed by guy ritchie.

A Guy Ritchie movie "designed to punish the audience for buying tickets," Revolver is one of the worst action movies, according to Ebert's half-star review . Jason Statham stars as Jake Green, a high-stakes gambler and chess player recently released from a seven-year stint for a crime he didn't commit. Seeking revenge, he humiliates casino mafia boss, Dorothy Macha ( Ray Liotta ), by winning a fortunate the table and causing Macha to put a hit out on Green's life.

"Oh, this film angered me. It kept turning back on itself, biting its own tail, doubling back through scenes with less and less meaning and purpose, chanting those sayings as if to hammer us down into accepting them."

Desperately wishing the projector would malfunction or catch fire during the screening, Ebert (and audiences) were tasked with making sense of the whiplash assembly flashbacks and forwards with an additional onslaught of subtitles and other over-the-top cinematic garnishes . A thrill-less thriller hellbent on disassembling and reassembling itself, Revolver is one of Ebert's top picks for the worst action flicks of all time.

Buy on Prime

4 'Death Race' (2008)

Directed by paul w.s. anderson.

Jason Statham as Jensen Ames in Death Race looking over his shoulder.

Lacking the cinematic and technical musicality to compose a great action film, Death Race is "an assault on all the senses, including common," according to Ebert. The dystopian action features Jason Statham as Jensen Ames, an incarcerated wheel-man doing time on Terminal Island for a murder he didn't commit. To earn his freedom, Ames must compete in and win the Death Race, a competition where the vehicles are modified with flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and other like machinery to brutally eliminate opponents. His half-star review is a stark contrast to the audience's opinion of this movie.

"Let us conclude that 'Death Race' is not a brand that guarantees quality."

While it isn't an exact remake of the 1975 film starring Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine , Death Race 2000 (which Ebert gave a 0-star and thumbs down), Death Race borrows from the film, including its producer Roger Corman . Ebert's distaste for both films contrasted with his approval of the original Mad Max movies (and a curiosity about what he'd think of the modern versions), provides a fair case that his half-star assessment is not just because it's a dystopian feature, but just a bad action movie .

3 'The Cannonball Run' (1981)

Directed by hal needham.

Burt Reynolds smiling toward the camera wearing an orang track jacket in The Cannonball Run

This Burt Reynolds road race movie is a star-studded cattle call without any laughs or substance in Ebert's opinion. The Cannonball Run is like a live-action Wacky Races film about an illegal cross-country gran prix with Reynolds starring as J. J. McClure, a hot-shot driver taking his chance at winning. Ebert's half-star review called the action comedy an "abdication of artistic responsibility." The film co-stars Roger Moore , Farrah Fawcett , Dom De Luise , and Dean Martin to name a few of many.

"'Cannonball' assembles a giant cast around an absolutely minimal amount of screenplay, and allows them to kill time expensively. There's not much plot and no suspense."

The 80s action feature is a remake of the 1976 David Carradine-led movie, Cannonball! . There are multiple movies in the orbit around the illegal race , none of them winning any favors with Ebert. The acclaimed critic maintained his strong opinions about how bad The Cannonball Run was, right down to the outtakes layered with the credits, making him confident the takes that made the film weren't much better than what was cut.

2 'Speed Zone' (1989)

Directed by jim drake.

In a passionate opening paragraph, Ebert is explicitly clear that cars and car crashes are not funny, and never have been, making Speed Zone a thumbs-down action movie. A "rip-off" movie, the action comedy stars John Candy and a slew of star-studded cameos as the police attempt to prevent the illegal coast-to-coast car race, with a wide range of personalities participating in the highway competition. Ebert's zero-star review calls the film a waste of Candy's talent.

"Nonstop chase-and-crash comedies have provided some of the worst movies of recent years (both 'Cannonball Run' movies, the 'Smokey' sequels, etc.), but even in that dismal company 'Speed Zone' sets some kind of record."

Like many of Ebert's fiery reviews, he is a vocal opponent of cinematic elements, like car chases and stunt sequences, that do nothing to further the plot, instead taking up precious screen time. Speed Zone is 94 minutes of stunts that he acknowledges is a "big payday for a lot of stunt drivers" but fuels audience disinterest. This 80s action comedy failed to be one of the best car movies of all time while simultaneously becoming one of the worst action movies of all time.

Speed Zone is currently not available for streaming.

1 'The Exterminator' (1980)

Directed by james glickenhaus.

A man in a button down with the city skyline behind him points an automatic weapon at someone off-camera

Boundary-free and savage, The Exterminator is one of the worst action movies of all time. Ebert's zero-star, thumbs-down review called the film a rip-off of the acclaimed Death Wish , whose violence was calculated and structured. After his friend is murdered on the streets of New York, John Eastland ( Robert Ginty ) turns the Big Apple into his own vicious war zone, with Detective James Dalton ( Christopher George ) hot on his trail.

"What's profoundly disturbing about the film is that it uses this 'justification' in the plot as an excuse for revenge scenes of the sickest possible perversion. The motive is obviously to shock or titillate the audience, not to show plausible actions by the character."

Calling it a "sick example" and "a small, unclean exercise in shame," Ebert once again is passionate in his criticism of movies that promote violence for the sake of violence instead of crafting dimensional, plausible, and morally gray characters and premises. The Exterminator is a poor example of vigilante justice, opting to pursue a sadistic revenge fantasy with senseless brutality, making it Ebert's pick for one of the worst action movies of all time.

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Up in the air.

Directed by Jason Reitman

The story of a man ready to make a connection.

Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman who causes him to rethink his transient life.

George Clooney Vera Farmiga Anna Kendrick Sam Elliott Amy Morton Jason Bateman Melanie Lynskey J.K. Simmons Danny McBride Zach Galifianakis Tamala Jones Adhir Kalyan Keri Maletto Steve Eastin Adrienne Lamping Christopher Lowell Erin McGrane Marvin Young Cut Chemist Meagan Flynn Dustin Miles Tamara Tungate Laura Ackermann Meghan Maguire Courtney Kling Matt O'Toole Alan David Cari Mohr Jerry Vogel Show All… Jeff Witzke Dave Engfer Paul Goetz Michele Reitman Jennifer Nitzband Bill Yancy John Mebruer Ellen Gutierrez Adam Rose Kevin Pilla Kelly Bertha Cozy Bailey Lamorris Conner Deborah L. Norman Casey Bartels Bill Phelan Arthur Hill Patricia Allison David F. Rybicki Andy Glantzman Kevin D. Lewis Jo Michelle Favaro Stephanie Janiunas Thomas M. Martilotti Erin Welsh-Krengel Marlene Gorkiewicz Mark Sommers Wilbur Weidlich Grace Smith Scott Lapinski George Batten

Director Director

Jason Reitman

Producers Producers

Jason Reitman Ivan Reitman Helen Estabrook Jason Blumenfeld Ali Bell Daniel Dubiecki Jeffrey Clifford

Writers Writers

Jason Reitman Sheldon Turner

Original Writer Original Writer

Walter Kirn

Casting Casting

Mindy Marin

Editor Editor

Dana E. Glauberman

Cinematography Cinematography

Eric Steelberg

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Jason Blumenfeld Sonia Bhalla

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Michael Beugg Joe Medjuck Ted Griffin Tom Pollock

Production Design Production Design

Steve Saklad

Art Direction Art Direction

Andrew Max Cahn

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Linda Lee Sutton

Stunts Stunts

Charles Croughwell

Composer Composer

Sound sound.

J. Stanley Johnston Gregory H. Watkins Perry Robertson Scott Sanders

Costume Design Costume Design

Danny Glicker

Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Pictures Cold Spring Pictures The Montecito Picture Company Rickshaw Productions Right of Way Films

Releases by Date

05 sep 2009, 12 sep 2009, 17 oct 2009, 19 oct 2009, 13 nov 2009, 22 nov 2009, 28 nov 2009, 04 dec 2009, 12 jun 2010.

Theatrical limited

11 Dec 2009

23 dec 2009, 14 jan 2010, 15 jan 2010, 20 jan 2010, 21 jan 2010, 22 jan 2010, 27 jan 2010, 28 jan 2010, 29 jan 2010, 03 feb 2010, 04 feb 2010, 05 feb 2010, 10 feb 2010, 18 feb 2010, 19 feb 2010, 24 feb 2010, 25 feb 2010, 26 feb 2010, 03 mar 2010, 04 mar 2010, 05 mar 2010, 11 mar 2010, 12 mar 2010, 20 mar 2010, 27 may 2010, 14 jun 2010, 06 mar 2013, 21 mar 2012, releases by country.

Premiere Rosebud Film Festival
Theatrical M

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Theatrical 12
Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
Theatrical limited Toronto
Premiere Shanghai International Film Festival
Theatrical 15+
Physical DVD & Blu-ray
Theatrical A
Theatrical U
Theatrical 0
Theatrical 16
Theatrical 15A
Premiere Rome Film Festival
Theatrical G
Theatrical N-13

Netherlands

Theatrical AL
Physical AL DVD
TV AL Net 5
Physical AL Blu ray

New Zealand

North macedonia.

Premiere 12 Oslo International Film Festival

Philippines

Premiere 18 Camerimage Film Festival
Theatrical M/12
Theatrical 15

South Africa

South korea.

Theatrical 7
Premiere 15 Stockholm International Film Festival

Switzerland

Premiere BFI London Film Festival
Premiere Telluride Film Festival
Theatrical R

United Arab Emirates

110 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Erik 🎼 ★★★★★ 2

I watched this on my flight to Boston and the guy next to me reading The Complete Guide To Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs leaned over and said "now THAT'S meta"

Review by #1 gizmo fan ★★★★ 3

yeah this one hurt

Review by DirkH ★★★★½ 9

My love for this film was instantaneous and I for the life of me can't put my finger on why that is. All things considered it isn't an exceptional plot, but something about the themes in this film and Clooney's wonderful performance resonated with me.

This is the type of role I love seeing Clooney in. Charming as hell and quick witted. His gradual self awareness and subsequent change is both touching as it is bitter sweet. Clooney brings that across superbly. The fact that the chemistry between him and Vera Farmiga is almost palpable doesn't hurt either.

I really like Jason Reitman's cinematic prose. The way he tells this story here is very enjoyable. He gets very natural performances…

Review by Ayo Edebiri ★★★★

I’m back, perverts.

I was in Canada and all I was watching was TV or weird lifetime holiday movies. Anyway. I like this movie so much. And am shocked how much it held up save like 2 bad asian jokes. You think they could stop at none.

Anyway again, the twist of this movie still hurts! Vera Farmiga is so good, especially when she’s not doing a Boston accent! And everyone who came in and day played? Well they played their lil ass off. Sam Elliot is to this movie what Action Bronson is to The Irishman. And that’s just true! Let me have it!!

Why is Jason Reitman in his flop era rn. Come back king, you’re so good.

Ok that’s all from me.

Review by georgina ★★★★½

vera farmiga: *appears on screen* me: so blessed. so moved. so grateful. cant believe this is my life. never going to take it for granted. always going to give back. thank you

Review by anna nomaly 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 ★★★★★

“I’m a parenthesis?”

Me too, buddy.

Review by Ethan Colburn ★★★★ 7

This one was a very pleasant surprise! I watched this last night and it kind of shook me.

It captured two of my biggest fears, being alone and the emptiness after achieving your goals. Clooney is so convinced his indefinite traveling is the best way to live, he gives motivational speeches about it. It captures the vibe of hotel bars and airport lounges perfectly, there is a certain hospitality that seems so surface level but enjoyable

It seems very self-referential for Clooney, who at the time was the textbook definition of the handsome bachelor. While it would be another 4 years before he met Amal, it seems to be him admitting that he wants more from life than just flings…

Review by kj ★★★★★

the most feel bad movie i have ever seen. five stars!

Review by Erik 🎼 ★★★★★ 1

the scene where Vera farmiga and George Clooney sext each other onscreen > the godfather I and II

Review by tru ★★★★½ 2

bro... i am not ok...

Review by YI JIAN ★★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Clooney :" Make no mistake, we all die alone. Now, those cult members in San Diego with the Kool-Aid and the sneakers, they didn't die alone. I'm just saying there are options."

[Anna Kendrick is on the verge of tears]

Clooney :" Oh fuck."

Kendrick (Half-sobbing): "Brian left me."

An absorbing and delightful film that I must revisit once in awhile. Up in the Air is adorable, cute, charming, and every other word listed in thesaurus dot com. I would say that it is the ultimate feel-good movie if 500 Days of Summer didn't exist. This little hidden gem in the rom-com genre is proof that a film riddled with cliches can still be decent. No scratch that, what am I thinking?…

Review by Jake Alda Coffey ★★★★½ 1

That lonely emptiness you get after you achieve something you've been striving for, it hurts bad and often makes you wonder “what now?”

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Class of 1999

A Great Year for Movies. The Best Year to Start Writing About Them.

At the box office 25 years ago, hits like “Runaway Bride,” “The Sixth Sense” and “Bowfinger” hint at the abundance that overwhelmed a young critic.

Share full article

A photo collage shows various stars from 1999 including, clockwise from bottom left, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Pierce Brosnan, Julia Roberts, Eddie Murphy, Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment.

By Wesley Morris

One thing to love about time is how liberating it can be. I, for instance, am at liberty to look at the Top 10 movies for the weekend of Aug. 20, 1999 — when “The Sixth Sense,” in its third week out, began its monopoly of the chart — and declare “The Thomas Crown Affair” the best of the lot.

What could be going on here? Am I actually saying that a Pierce Brosnan-Rene Russo remake of the old Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway love heist, from 1968, was always superior to M. Night Shyamalan’s where’d- that -come-from supernatural smash? Or have 25 years ripened one and grayed the other? Hadn’t “The Blair Witch Project” opened in July yet was still very much a thing? (It had, yet it was, down at No. 5.) Only one of the 10 movies was a sequel. In the mix were Julia Roberts, at her commercial peak, in “Runaway Bride” (No. 4, after opening in July) and Steve Martin and a gonzo Eddie Murphy, holding at second, in “Bowfinger.”

Domestic Box Office, August 20–26, 1999

	Title	Gross
1	The Sixth Sense	$35,198,481
2	Bowfinger	$14,627,175
3	Mickey Blue Eyes	$14,308,481
4	Runaway Bride	$13,333,742
5	The Blair Witch Project	$10,477,358
6	The Thomas Crown Affair	$9,963,794
7	Inspector Gadget	$6,342,435
8	Universal Soldier: The Return	$6,220,607
9	Deep Blue Sea	$5,456,307
10	Teaching Mrs. Tingle	$4,933,395

Source: Box Office Mojo.

So why I am hugging the remake?

For one thing, that’s the kind of year 1999 was: a lot of everything. It’s almost a reflex now, to claim it was just about the greatest class of movies there ever was. Brian Raftery called his breathlessly chummy history of 1999 “Best. Movie. Year. Ever.” Though, I’ve always sought clarification on “greatest,” because this had never been a year of easily triumphant or consensus work. Try 1939, ’68 or ’89 for wonders of the world. “Great,” in 1999, denotes range, volume, abundance, deluge. It’s quality capturing quantity: a megalopolis skyline as opposed to a mountain range.

Twenty-five years later, 1999 is known for being the year of Shyamalan’s movie, of “Blair Witch” and “American Beauty,” which came out in September and went on, somehow, to win the best picture Oscar. The year is remembered for “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” and “The Matrix,” which had opened in March and by August was winding down its initial colonization of the cultural imagination. It was known for existential identity crackups, and a pervasive itch of anomie, that you could sense in “Office Space,” “Election,” “Dick” and “Fight Club,” which weren’t hits, but also in “American Pie,” which very much was. So Raftery’s breathless tone seems right. It was the last most-exciting period for American moviegoing. It was the last most-exciting time to write about the movies.

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Cast & crew
User reviews

Metacritic reviews

Up in the air.

100 The Hollywood Reporter The Hollywood Reporter It's rare for a movie to be at once so biting and so moving. If Ryan's future seems bleak, there's something exhilarating about a movie made with such clear-eyed intelligence.
100 Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman Up in the Air is light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real. It's everything that Hollywood has forgotten how to do; we're blessed that Jason Reitman has remembered
100 Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Up in the Air takes the trust people once had in their jobs and pulls out the rug. It is a film for this time.
90 Variety Todd McCarthy Variety Todd McCarthy The timing in the Clooney-Farmiga scenes is like splendid tennis, with each player surprising the other with shots but keeping the rally going to breathtaking duration.
90 New York Magazine (Vulture) David Edelstein New York Magazine (Vulture) David Edelstein Up in the Air is poised to be a smash, and Clooney--slim, dark, perfectly tailored--glamorizes insincerity in a way that makes you want to go out and lie.
80 The New Yorker Anthony Lane The New Yorker Anthony Lane The film is a hybrid. Its backdrop is despair, but the foreground action has the silvery zest of a comedy.
80 Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky If Steven Soderbergh taught Clooney how to act in "Out of Sight," then Reitman has taught him how to stop acting. This is the most vulnerable, the most playful, the most human performance of his career.
70 Chicago Reader J.R. Jones Chicago Reader J.R. Jones Reitman deserves credit for going through with a bitterly ironic ending, but the movie is marred by its warm condescension toward flyover country.
50 Village Voice J. Hoberman Village Voice J. Hoberman Up in the Air goes down like a sedative. This is a movie that's easy to like--and to dislike as well.
40 Time Out Keith Uhlich Time Out Keith Uhlich Reitman, who also cowrote the screenplay, feels the constant need to "deepen" his characters, granting them wants and motivations--especially during the moralistic third act--that are totally alien to how they're initially portrayed.
See all 36 reviews on Metacritic.com
See all external reviews for Up in the Air

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Movie Review: “Up in the Air”

Many people say that home is where the heart is, but for Ryan Bingham (Clooney), home is up in the air. As an employee of Career Transition Counseling, Ryan makes his living flying from town to town firing people so that their bosses don’t have to. He loves the freedom that travel brings him (not to mention the perks), so when a hot shot college grad named Natalie (Anna Kendrick) arrives in town with a proposal to cut expenses by revolutionizing their trade via video conferencing, Ryan’s lifestyle is in danger of being grounded. After his boss suggests Ryan show Natalie the ropes on the road, however, he begins seeing a cute frequent flier (Vera Farmiga) who may just change his philosophy about life as a corporate road warrior.

Though “Up in the Air” is technically based on the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn, the two couldn’t be any more different. With the exception of the Ryan Bingham character and a few other details (like his sister’s upcoming wedding and his sleazy boss, played to perfection by Jason Bateman ), Reitman’s version has changed significantly. For starters, Anna Kendrick’s character is a completely original creation, while the relationship between Clooney and Farmiga has been given much more depth. Fans of the book likely won’t mind, either, because it allows Kirn’s novel to exist independently of the film. Both are great stories, but they’re about two different things.

The book was about Ryan’s obsession with attaining elite status in his personal and professional life, while the movie focuses more on how his relationships change him as a person. Clooney is tailor-made for the role – a charming but mildly arrogant bachelor who would much rather spend his life surrounded by strangers than with family and friends. It only makes his young-at-heart fling with Farmiga that much more enjoyable, as their flirty first encounter (over which travel reward programs give you the best value) blossoms into one of the most memorable onscreen romances in years.

Clooney may carry the film, but Anna Kendrick runs away with it as his fast-talking, business-minded pupil. She’s been flying under the radar for years with scene-stealing roles in movies like “Rocket Science” and the “Twilight” series, but “Up in the Air” finally gives her the chance to really shine. It would be a major understatement to say that she doesn’t make the most of it, because Kendrick easily delivers one of the best female performances of the year. She’s reason enough to see the film, but in addition to a refreshingly honest script and a great ensemble cast, “Up in the Air” gives you several more. It doesn’t match the 10,000,000-mile goal that Ryan Bingham has set for himself, but if “Up in the Air” was a passenger, it would definitely be flying first class.

4 / 5 Stars Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons Director: Jason Reitman

Single-Disc Blu-Ray Review:

Released just in time for the Academy Awards, the Blu-ray release of “Up in the Air” features a small but solid collection of extras. The commentary with director/co-writer Jason Reitman, director of photography Eric Steelberg, and first assistant director Jason Blumenfeld is incredibly informative, with Reitman leading a lively discussion about making the film. There are also 23 minutes of deleted scenes, and while they were likely cut for time, there’s a lot of good stuff here, including a fun montage that follows Ryan Bingham around town as he learns to adapt to his post-Airworld lifestyle. Rounding out the set is a short featurette on Shadowplay (the company responsible for the opening title sequence), some video storyboard comparisons, and a music video.

About Author

In addition to writing for Bullz-Eye.com, Jason is a proud member of the Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) and the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS).

Movie Review: “The Instigators”

The controversy surrounding the megalopolis trailer and its fake review quotes, explained, share this article.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

Confused about what’s been going on with the latest trailer for the movie Megalopolis from Francis Ford Coppola? Don’t worry; we’re here to help.

Lionsgate apologized on Wednesday after a new trailer for the latest Francis Ford Coppola film Megalopolis featured fake pull quotes from notable film critics.

Trying to set Megalopolis up as a film destined to be ahead of its time, the trailer tried to position past Coppola films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now as panned by legendary film critics at the time of their release.

Well, the big problem with the advertisement was that some of these quotes didn’t actually exist. Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri soon discovered that various quotes attributed to film critics like Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, Vincent Canby and Andrew Sarris, among others, didn’t actually link up with their reviews.

Certainly, Coppola has directed his fair share of films that received mixed reception at the time of their release and later earned praise upon revisit. But the pull quotes in the trailer seemingly got pulled out of thin air.

Variety confirmed Ebiri’s reporting, as the pull quotes in the trailer didn’t match with the critics named and essentially negated part of the argument of the trailer (which you can watch below).

Half of the trailer for Coppola's Megalopolis is quotes of bad reviews of Francis Ford Coppola's previous films. The only problem is that all of the quotes are made up! Lionsgate is trying to remove the trailer from the internet so I've posted it here. pic.twitter.com/a2hShrdqxt — Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) August 21, 2024

Lionsgate later disavowed the trailer by pulling it down and apologized to the critics falsely attributed in the trailer, Coppola and his production company American Zoetrope.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis , a Lionsgate spokesperson said in a statement, per Variety . “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Megalopolis is still slated for a Sept. 27 wide release following its debut at May’s Cannes Film Festival. The project garnered divisive reactions at its premiere.

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Up in the air.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 16 Reviews
Kids Say 15 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Adult dramedy taps into emotions of current tough times.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 17+?

Fairly frequent use of everything from “a--hole” to “s--t&rdqu

American Airlines feels like a “proud sponsor” of the film since its

A woman is briefly shown naked from behind, with nothing on but a necktie wrappe

Social drinking at bars and parties; at one point, a group of revelers is happil

A man is briefly shown toting a firearm in an imaginary sequence. Workers who&rs

Any Positive Content?

The movie brings a fresh perspective to the cliched but true lesson that no man

Main character Ryan is a decent man trying to do a very difficult job: firing pe

Fairly frequent use of everything from “a--hole” to “s--t” to “f--k," as well as "ass," "hell," "crap," "prick," and "oh my God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

American Airlines feels like a “proud sponsor” of the film since its logo is visible nearly every time the main character has to travel. Many other logos and brands associated with business travel also pop up throughout the movie, including Hilton, Hertz, and Marriott.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A woman is briefly shown naked from behind, with nothing on but a necktie wrapped around her waist. She and her lover kiss and tussle in bed. They also talk about sex fairly candidly and send each other suggestive messages -- overall, they're shown teasing and bantering more often than having sex. A married character cheats on her husband; another is left by her boyfriend.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Social drinking at bars and parties; at one point, a group of revelers is happily intoxicated. A few tiny bottles of liquor are shown tucked in one character’s fridge.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A man is briefly shown toting a firearm in an imaginary sequence. Workers who’ve been fired curse and talk about killing themselves; one tosses a chair around in frustration.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

The movie brings a fresh perspective to the cliched but true lesson that no man (or woman) is an island. It suggests that in these challenging times, connection may just be the way to survive.

Positive Role Models

Main character Ryan is a decent man trying to do a very difficult job: firing people. Though he can’t do much to help them, he displays unusual empathy for their situation. That said, he’s a pretty isolated guy, proudly unrooted. But he discovers that he needs more in his life and sets out to get it -- as well as give to others. A colleague tries to do her job well, too, but she forgets that efficiency can’t replace humanity. Another character appears to be sympathetic, but she’s complicated: married and constricted by that commitment.

Parents need to know that director Jason Reitman 's thoughtful drama about a man (played by George Clooney ) who fires people for a living (criss-crossing the country by plane to do so) examines uncomfortable, grown-up truths both timely (unemployment, financial stress) and perennial -- family dysfunction and loneliness. Still, despite its heavy themes, strong language (including "s--t" and "f--k"), and some sexual interplay between characters (including brief rear nudity), it has enormous empathy and insight that may resonate with older teens who are trying to grapple with and understand increasingly complex issues. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (16)
Kids say (15)

Based on 16 parent reviews

Film Art or Victim Art?

Not worth the effort. not a feel-good movie., what's the story.

Ryan Bingham ( George Clooney ) has a dream: To be the seventh person ever to accumulate 10 million frequent-flier miles. And he's not far off. He spends 270 days a year in the air; airports and planes and hotels are home to him. When he's not on the motivational circuit, extolling the virtues of carrying a lightly packed symbolic backpack -- both objects and people can weigh you down, you see -- he's zigzagging the country to assist companies in firing their workers. And amazingly, he does it with more than a modicum of empathy and soul. But a young upstart ( Twilight supporting player Anna Kendrick ) is convinced that the process can be mechanized -- which could ground Bingham short of his goal, take him away from another business traveler ( Vera Farmiga ) he's fallen in love with, and make him examine what -- and where -- is really home.

Is It Any Good?

UP IN THE AIR is by no means perfect. To start, it hits screenplay mileposts a little too on the nose, like an A student raising his hand for yet another crack at an answer we know he'll get. And yet it takes us to places we never quite expect. It's irreverent when we think it will be serious; serious when we think it will go for laughs. It's surprising -- and that doesn't happen often in the movies these days.

Based on a bestselling novel by Walter Kirn, Jason Reitman 's film is literary without being self-consciously so. Clooney delivers perhaps his best performance yet, with more nuance and less reliance on his usual tics (the downcast looks, the easy smile). The vulnerability he displays with Farmiga, a worthy female counterpart, convinces but doesn't overplay. Bingham's journey is one we've all found ourselves on: how to connect in a world that makes it so easy to be within reach, yet so hard to reach out, even to family. It also captures these challenging times, when jobs and, yes, people seem expendable. And yet, they're not: The film gives them a voice, one downsized worker at a time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Bingham's job: Is it a difficult one? Does he enjoy it? Why does he seem committed to doing it? Does it make him a bad guy or good? What about Natalie, his colleague?

How does the movie capture a particular moment in history? Does it seem realistic, or has it been Hollywood-ized?

Who do you think the movie is trying to reach? Does it succeed?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 4, 2009
On DVD or streaming : March 9, 2010
Cast : Anna Kendrick , George Clooney , Vera Farmiga
Director : Jason Reitman
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Paramount Pictures
Genre : Drama
Run time : 109 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language and some sexual content
Last updated : December 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

This movie trailer was recalled amid revelations that critics' quotes were made up

This image provided by Lionsgate shows a scene from the film, "Megalopolis." (Lionsgate via AP)

Lionsgate recalled its new trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” Wednesday amid revelations that critics' quotes were fabricated.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” a Lionsgate spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories

The trailer, released earlier Wednesday, included quotes from critics like Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert of other Coppola films that did not actually appear in their reviews. The intent, it seems, was to highlight the critical divisiveness of now-classics like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” leaning into some of the more negative reactions to “Megalopolis,” the self-financed US$120-million epic opening in September.

The trailer attributed a quote to Kael that “The Godfather” was “diminished by its artsiness.” But Kael loved “The Godfather,” and this phrase was not used in her March 1972 review of the film for The New Yorker. Ebert also did not write that Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” was “a triumph of style over substance.” Quotes from Rex Reed and Vincent Canby, about “Apocalypse Now,” did not appear in their reviews either.

“Megalopolis” has been decades in the making, and it received many mixed reviews upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It has also come under scrutiny of late for alleged misconduct on set, after videos leaked of Coppola hugging and kissing extras during a club scene. Representatives have not responded to the AP’s requests for comment about the videos.

The film is set to have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month before hitting theaters on Sept. 27.

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Entertainment

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Local Spotlight

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Northern Ontario

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Spike in forest fire in the northeast in the last 24 hours

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Sentencing ongoing for man convicted of disturbing London Pride event

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Vancouver Island

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Sault Ste. Marie

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Up In The Air Review

15 Jan 2010

109 minutes

Up In The Air

As the anecdote goes, George Clooney took just one brisk read of the script, sat in one of the many bedrooms of his palatial villa on the tranquil shores of Lake Como, to say yes to Jason Reitman’s follow-up to hip, teen-pregnancy dramedy Juno. He could see it straightaway, the role of a lifetime. Or at least a role in his gifted hands that could be transformed into the role of his lifetime: this suave yet haunted jet-setter with a tincture of Cary Grant or perhaps George Clooney about him, intent on reaching a miraculous ten million air miles as he skips from city to city laying off the workforce on behalf of cowardly bosses. He’s a mobile downsizer, or ‘career transition counsellor’, thriving in the chaos of recession. Topical, huh?

Yes, of course, but not as polemic, but context — a gravitational pull anyone would wish to escape from. It’s worth mentioning the script, based on Walter Kirn’s novel, was six years old before going into production. Only once the shoot commenced did it take on such a cruel relevance. A consumerist fable with its synthetic dream of never-to-be-spent frequent-flyer miles, set against the bleak shadow of now.

But this all sounds far too heavy for a film so light. In Reitman’s care, still channelling the breezy, matter-of-fact perkiness of Juno, it is an emphatic statement that Hollywood can still make great movies; a celebration that stardom can be as thrilling a concept as 3-D or CG or mooncalf vampires.

Bingham has a system for life — he avoids it. He travels perfectly, flitting between meetings, sealed safe and selfish in business class. See how effortlessly he negotiates the hurdles of airport security. Hear his withering put-downs of the herds of clueless travellers. Yes, Up In The Air comes complete with a Clooney voice-over, one of modern cinema’s most beguiling pleasures. That wisdom-bestowing, aphoristic science-of-life stuff — just on the edge of droll — piloting us through Bingham’s handsome head. A philosophical voice track that crosses over into his motivational speeches: public demos of his ruthless, emotional impregnability. “We are not swans,” he chides a conventional hall part-filled with blank faces. “We are sharks.”

Two women will happen to Bingham in different ways. The first in what seems to be a traditional rom-com, is Vera Farmiga’s Alex. She proves his perfect opposite: the Hepburn to his sly-smiled Tracy, the female version of himself. She even wryly recognises the attraction: “Just think of me as you, but with a vagina.” Farmiga, who has a lived-in authenticity to her beauty, laps up Alex’s flighty ambiguities. Alex is loose on the airwaves too, and their first encounter is a duel of platinum reward cards — the jousting of battle scars from Jaws rewired for the age of hermetic travel. While Clooney gets the lines, the trajectory of the plot, the ravishing Farmiga has a range of subtle glances, ironic smiles and deft shrugs that suggest a world of emotion held sternly at bay.

It is not destiny, but scheduling that has drawn them together. Two people content to be casual. And love, the real grubby stuff of life, would only complicate things. You can see where this is going. Only you can’t. Not quite. Reitman keeps tweaking comfortable outcomes and throwing us off balance.

The other female is Natalie, a spiky greenhorn fresh in from business school with a computerised plan to downsize even the downsizers: a system of remote-control lay-offs via video. An indignant Bingham — confronting the grounding of his made-to-measure non-life — is forced to drag her around for his latest session of city-hopping redundancies. Thus, besides the rom-com, it’s an odd-couple flick: smug old-timer and mixed-up go-getter.

Anna Kendrick is the third of the film’s marvels. Natalie’s aiming for Bingham’s icy-calm, but can’t hold it in. Her swift, hilarious breakdown, including a splendid squall of unbidden tears in the midst of a departure hall, and Bingham’s allergic reaction supply the meat of the comedy. Reitman likes this bounce of opposites — Ellen Page ruffling Jennifer Garner’s stiff feathers in Juno — and their conversation has the zest of classic-era comedy.

Indeed, Billy Wilder would have loved its set-up, the barbs nestled amongst the folly of human foibles; Howard Hawks its complicated interplay between the sexes. To counter such glistening movieness, and sharpen its real-world subtext, Reitman interviewed 120 recently laid-off workers, sprinkling their candid words amongst the narrative — a Greek chorus of broken lives. The script is structured into city chapters, with these to-camera interviews slotted between, a shape as precise as the habits of the protagonist. As with Juno, there are contrivances, shortcuts to get us home on time. But they feel deliberate and confidently handled, part of that old-Hollywood style that courses beneath modern sheen.

Reitman also shoots with quiet power. Initially, it is cold and neat, all angular airport architecture and walls of icy glass, but as Bingham is unpeeled, so the director’s camera loosens up, switching to scruffy handhelds and grainier stock. There is plenty of aerial work, of course, gliding us through the sanctuary of the skies to peer godlike upon Midwestern cities more like burned-out circuit boards. In these strange, snowy centres of American torpor, where the recession has dug deepest, Bingham will do his thing. And the more we witness the sad ritual of dismissal, workers shorn of dignity and hope, the more we realise we’re getting the film all wrong.

This is one of the script’s brilliant tricks — to undermine our knee-jerk judgement of Bingham. We’ve got him pegged, this untouchable, steel-hearted hatchet man who will melt before the film’s out, but as he gently exposes the nature of his trade to his new sidekick, his understanding of grief and human panic reveal him as the most compassionate soul in the film. He is both executioner and therapist in one. And Clooney revels in the contradiction. Bingham isn’t emotionless — he’s just in control.

Much has and will be written on the close fit between Clooney and his charge: isolated, childless men, decent but unreachable, living their lives in the hushed unreality of airtight luxury. Everywhere and nowhere at once. Late on, Reitman changes tack for a chapter. Bingham, starting to soften, goes to his estranged sister’s (Melanie Lynskey) wedding, taking Alex as his date on a whim. Here, amid the touchstones of a forgotten childhood, he will prove unlikely saviour and the contact will pry him open. Without the lunatic twitches of some Method man, Clooney cracks the façade, and a mix of loneliness and hope pours out. He was right about this one — it has all the unguarded desperation of Michael Clayton, but is sexier, funnier and more knowing. He thrives off the film, and the film off his gift of a performance.

All the while Reitman, fast-tracking himself onto the A-list in a graceful swoop of excellence, is able to maintain that toughest of balances: the lightly profound, an unfussy, impeccably performed, romantic entertainment able to say something important about its times. Up In The Air is a rarity indeed, and should win Oscars for them all. One of which will look just dandy on the sideboard in Como.

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Watch CBS News

Roger Ebert's 10 greatest films of all time

By David Morgan

April 8, 2013 / 1:54 PM EDT / CBS News

Updated April 8 1:53 p.m. ET

(CBS News) There were few more passionate advocates for films as art than Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert, who died Thursday at the age of 70 after a long battle against cancer.

Despite the seeming limitations of serving as the co-host of a syndicated TV review show and plying his trade in the Midwest (where distribution of independent or foreign-language films can be spotty at best), Ebert helped shine a light on deserving films to millions. He was an early supporter of such noted directors as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Werner Herzog, and his published collections of film criticism offered a bracing celebration of cinematic innovation and emotional clarity (and, in the case of "I Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie," a piercing cry against mediocrity).

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In 2012 the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine polled international critics to choose their 10 favorite films, as it has every decade since 1952. Ebert once again offered his selection , despite his qualms about reducing his passion for the medium into a tidy Top-10 list. ("Lists are ridiculous, but if you're going to vote, you have to play the game," he relented.) Films which he'd previously included in his S&S polls, such as "Notorious" and the documentary "Gates of Heaven," he considered thusly canonized, and was willing to cut loose, to welcome new entries into the pantheon.

"Vertigo" tops "Kane" in critics' poll of greatest films

The following, in alphabetical order, are Ebert's 2012 choices. Click through this gallery by the tabs up top to read excerpts from his published reviews.

"Aguirre, Wrath of God" (1972), directed by Werner Herzog

"Werner Herzog's 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' is one of the great haunting visions of the cinema. It tells the story of the doomed expedition of the conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro, who in 1560 and 1561 led a body of men into the Peruvian rain forest, lured by stories of the lost city. . . .

"The film is not driven by dialogue . . . or even by the characters, except for Aguirre, whose personality is created as much by [Klaus] Kinski's face and body as by words. What Herzog sees in the story, I think, is what he finds in many of his films: Men haunted by a vision of great achievement, who commit the sin of pride by daring to reach for it, and are crushed by an implacable universe."

Ebert review: "Aguirre, Wrath of God"

"Apocalypse Now" (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Ebert wrote in 1999, "[S]een again now at a distance of 20 years, 'Apocalypse Now' is more clearly than ever one of the key films of the century. Most films are lucky to contain a single great sequence. 'Apocalypse Now' strings together one after another, with the river journey as the connecting link. The best is the helicopter attack on a Vietnam village, led by Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), whose choppers use loudspeakers at top volume to play Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' as they swoop down on a yard full of schoolchildren. Duvall won an Oscar nomination for his performance and its unforgettable line, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning.' His emptiness is frightening ..."

Ebert review: "Apocalypse Now"

"Citizen Kane" (1941) directed by Orson Welles

" 'Rosebud' is the emblem of the security, hope and innocence of childhood, which a man can spend his life seeking to regain. It is the green light at the end of Gatsby's pier; the leopard atop Kilimanjaro, seeking nobody knows what; the bone tossed into the air in '2001.' It is that yearning after transience that adults learn to suppress. 'Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost,' says Thompson, the reporter assigned to the puzzle of Kane's dying word. 'Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything.' True, it explains nothing, but it is remarkably satisfactory as a demonstration that nothing can be explained.

"'Citizen Kane' likes playful paradoxes like that. Its surface is as much fun as any movie ever made. Its depths surpass understanding. I have analyzed it a shot at a time with more than 30 groups, and together we have seen, I believe, pretty much everything that is there on the screen. The more clearly I can see its physical manifestation, the more I am stirred by its mystery."

Ebert review: "Citizen Kane"

"La Dolce Vita" (1960) directed by Federico Fellini

"Movies do not change, but their viewers do. When I saw 'La Dolce Vita'' in 1960, I was an adolescent for whom 'the sweet life'' represented everything I dreamed of: sin, exotic European glamour, the weary romance of the cynical newspaperman. When I saw it again, around 1970, I was living in a version of Marcello's world; Chicago's North Avenue was not the Via Veneto, but at 3 a.m. the denizens were just as colorful, and I was about Marcello's age.

"When I saw the movie around 1980, Marcello was the same age, but I was 10 years older, had stopped drinking, and saw him not as a role model but as a victim, condemned to an endless search for happiness that could never be found, not that way. By 1991, when I analyzed the film a frame at a time at the University of Colorado, Marcello seemed younger still, and while I had once admired and then criticized him, now I pitied and loved him. And when I saw the movie right after Mastroianni died, I thought that Fellini and Marcello had taken a moment of discovery and made it immortal. There may be no such thing as the sweet life. But it is necessary to find that out for yourself."

Ebert review" "La Dolce Vita"

"The General" (1927) directed by Buster Keaton

"Buster Keaton was not the Great Stone Face so much as a man who kept his composure in the center of chaos. Other silent actors might mug to get a point across, but Keaton remained observant and collected. That's one reason his best movies have aged better than those of his rival, Charlie Chaplin. He seems like a modern visitor to the world of the silent clowns. ...

"Today I look at Keaton's works more often than any other silent films. They have such a graceful perfection, such a meshing of story, character and episode, that they unfold like music. Although they're filled with gags, you can rarely catch Keaton writing a scene around a gag; instead, the laughs emerge from the situation; he was 'the still, small, suffering center of the hysteria of slapstick,' wrote the critic Karen Jaehne. And in an age when special effects were in their infancy, and a 'stunt' often meant actually doing on the screen what you appeared to be doing, Keaton was ambitious and fearless. He had a house collapse around him. He swung over a waterfall to rescue a woman he loved. He fell from trains. And always he did it in character, playing a solemn and thoughtful man who trusts in his own ingenuity."

Ebert review: "The General"

"Raging Bull" (1980) directed by Martin Scorsese

" 'Raging Bull' is not a film about boxing but about a man with paralyzing jealousy and sexual insecurity, for whom being punished in the ring serves as confession, penance and absolution. It is no accident that the screenplay never concerns itself with fight strategy. For Jake LaMotta, what happens during a fight is controlled not by tactics but by his fears and drives.

"Consumed by rage after his wife, Vickie, unwisely describes one of his opponents as 'good-looking,' he pounds the man's face into a pulp, and in the audience a Mafia boss leans over to his lieutenant and observes, 'He ain't pretty no more.' After the punishment has been delivered, Jake (Robert De Niro) looks not at his opponent, but into the eyes of his wife (Cathy Moriarty), who gets the message. . . .

" 'Raging Bull' is the most painful and heartrending portrait of jealousy in the cinema -- an 'Othello' for our times. It's the best film I've seen about the low self-esteem, sexual inadequacy and fear that lead some men to abuse women. Boxing is the arena, not the subject. LaMotta was famous for refusing to be knocked down in the ring. There are scenes where he stands passively, his hands at his side, allowing himself to be hammered. We sense why he didn't go down. He hurt too much to allow the pain to stop."

Ebert review: "Raging Bull

"Tokyo Story" (1953) directed by Yasujiro Ozu

"It is clear that 'Tokyo Story' was one of the unacknowledged masterpieces of the early-1950s Japanese cinema, and that Ozu has more than a little in common with that other great director, Kenji Mizoguchi ('Ugetsu'). Both of them use their cameras as largely impassive, honest observers. Both seem reluctant to manipulate the real time in which their scenes are acted; Ozu uses very restrained editing, and Mizoguchi often shoots scenes in unbroken takes.

"This objectivity creates an interesting effect; because we are not being manipulated by devices of editing and camera movement, we do not at first have any very strong reaction to 'Tokyo Story.' We miss the visual cues and shorthand used by Western directors to lead us by the nose. With Ozu, it's as if the characters are living their lives unaware that a movie is being shot. And so we get to know them gradually, begin to look for personal characteristics and to understand the implications of little gestures and quiet remarks.

" 'Tokyo Story' moves quite slowly by our Western standards, and requires more patience at first than some moviegoers may be willing to supply. Its effect is cumulative, however; the pace comes to seem perfectly suited to the material. And there are scenes that will be hard to forget: The mother and father separately thanking the daughter-in-law for her kindness; the father's laborious drunken odyssey through a night of barroom nostalgia; and his reaction when he learns that his wife will probably die."

Ebert review" "Tokyo Story"

"The Tree of Life" (2011) directed by Terrence Malick

"Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life' is a film of vast ambition and deep humility, attempting no less than to encompass all of existence and view it through the prism of a few infinitesimal lives. The only other film I've seen with this boldness of vision is Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' and it lacked Malick's fierce evocation of human feeling. There were once several directors who yearned to make no less than a masterpiece, but now there are only a few. Malick has stayed true to that hope ever since his first feature in 1973.

"I don't know when a film has connected more immediately with my own personal experience. In uncanny ways, the central events of 'The Tree of Life' reflect a time and place I lived in, and the boys in it are me. If I set out to make an autobiographical film, and if I had Malick's gift, it would look so much like this."

Ebert review: "The Tree of Life"

"2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick

"The genius is not in how much Stanley Kubrick does in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' but in how little. This is the work of an artist so sublimely confident that he doesn't include a single shot simply to keep our attention. He reduces each scene to its essence, and leaves it on screen long enough for us to contemplate it, to inhabit it in our imaginations. Alone among science-fiction movies, '2001' is not concerned with thrilling us, but with inspiring our awe. ...

"The film did not provide the clear narrative and easy entertainment cues the audience expected. The closing sequences, with the astronaut inexplicably finding himself in a bedroom somewhere beyond Jupiter, were baffling. The overnight Hollywood judgment was that Kubrick had become derailed, that in his obsession with effects and set pieces, he had failed to make a movie.

"What he had actually done was make a philosophical statement about man's place in the universe, using images as those before him had used words, music or prayer. And he had made it in a way that invited us to contemplate it -- not to experience it vicariously as entertainment, as we might in a good conventional science-fiction film, but to stand outside it as a philosopher might, and think about it."

Ebert's review: "2001: A Space Odyssey"

"Vertigo" (1958) directed by Alfred Hitchcock

" 'Vertigo,' which is one of the two or three best films Hitchcock ever made, is the most confessional, dealing directly with the themes that controlled his art. It is *about* how Hitchcock used, feared and tried to control women. He is represented by Scottie (James Stewart), a man with physical and mental weaknesses (back problems, fear of heights), who falls obsessively in love with the image of a woman -- and not any woman, but the quintessential Hitchcock woman. When he cannot have her, he finds another woman and tries to mold her, dress her, train her, change her makeup and her hair, until she looks like the woman he desires. He cares nothing about the clay he is shaping; he will gladly sacrifice her on the altar of his dreams."

Ebert review: "Vertigo"

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Up in the Air movie review & film summary (2009)
It is a film for this time. Bingham describes himself as a Termination Facilitator. He fires people for a living. When corporations need to downsize quickly but hate the mess, he flies in and breaks the news to the new former employees. In hard times, his business is great. Advertisement. This isn't a comedy.
Up in the Air (2009)
Sep 18, 2017. Where 'Up in the Air' soars is in the way it captures Ryan's rhythm, the elegant precision of his comforting ritual, the smooth familiarity of his life-in-transition existence. Oct 6 ...
Air movie review & film summary (2023)
Advertisement. "Air" is a timeless underdog story of grit, dreams, and moxie. In that spirit, Vaccaro delivers a killer monologue at a crucial moment in hopes of sealing the deal with Jordan (whom Affleck shrewdly never shows us full-on—he remains an elusive idea, as he should be, but an intoxicating bit of crosscutting reveals the legacy ...
Tina Mabry and Edward Kelsey Moore on the Joy and Uplift ...
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Edward Kelsey Moore, "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" is a throwback movie to those comforting, star-studded dramedies that used to be box office bread and butter.Mostly set between 1968 and 1999, the film follows best friends Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Kyanna Simone), Clarice (Uzo Aduba and Abigail Achiri), and Barbara Jean ...
'Up in the Air' Review: Movie (2009)
September 6, 2009 5:02pm. 'Up in the Air' Dale Robinette. TELLURIDE, Colo. — Cynicism and sentiment have melded magically in movies by some of the best American directors, from Preston Sturges ...
George Clooney and Vera Farmiga as High Fliers
Directed by Jason Reitman. Drama, Romance. R. 1h 49m. By Manohla Dargis. Dec. 3, 2009. For most people there's no joy in sucking down recycled oxygen while hurtling above the clouds. The free ...
Up in the Air
Adapted from Walter Kirn's 2001 novel, it's a rare and sparkling gem of a movie, directed by Jason Reitman ( Juno) with the polish of a master. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), the film's ...
Up in the Air (2009)
Up in the Air: Directed by Jason Reitman. With George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman. Ryan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
Up In The Air Summary and Synopsis
Up in the Air is a George Clooney starring comedy drama from director Jason Reitman. Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who travels the country helping different companies with employment termination. Life is going smoothly for Ryan until he meets a woman, and one of his employees pitches the idea of cutting costs by firing people over video-conferencing.
Up in the Air (2009 film)
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman.It was written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner, based on the 2001 novel Up in the Air by Walter Kirn.The story is centered on traveling corporate "downsizer" Ryan Bingham (George Clooney).Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman also star. Up in the Air was primarily filmed in St. Louis with additional scenes shot ...
Review: 'Up in the Air' a rare gem
Here are a few of the kinds of movies that I wish Hollywood made more often (like, you know, two or three times a year): a drama that connects to an audience because it taps, in a bold and ...
Up in the Air
Up in the Air fails because Reitman crams too many stories and situations into one picture. Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 12, 2019. Mattie Lucas The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) The film ...
10 Worst Action Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert
A Western action film that audiences have deemed so bad, it's good, Ebert wouldn't say the same for Wild Wild West. Will Smith and Kevin Kline bring steampunk action to the Old West, starring as ...
Up in the Air (2009)
Permalink. "Up In the Air" is perhaps the most hyped film of the year, and also the most undeserving of said hype. The story is a simple and predictable one. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a consultant sent throughout the country to fire unsuspecting employees for bosses too cowardly to do the job themselves.
‎Up in the Air (2009) directed by Jason Reitman • Reviews, film + cast
Synopsis. The story of a man ready to make a connection. Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he's about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman who causes him to rethink his transient life. Remove Ads.
1999 Was a Great Year for Movies. It Was the Best Year to Write About
At the box office 25 years ago, hits like "Runaway Bride," "The Sixth Sense" and "Bowfinger" hint at the abundance that overwhelmed a young critic.
Up in the Air (2009)
Up in the Air. 36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com. It's rare for a movie to be at once so biting and so moving. If Ryan's future seems bleak, there's something exhilarating about a movie made with such clear-eyed intelligence. Up in the Air is light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real.
Globes: Up in the Air, Locker, Nine, Avatar, Precious, SOB
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.(AP) — The recession-era tale "Up in the Air" led Golden Globe film contenders Tuesday with six nominations, among them best drama and acting honors for George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.Other drama picks were the space fantasy "Avatar," the Iraq War tale "The Hurt Locker," the World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds" and the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on ...
Movie Review: "Up in the Air"
Single-Disc Blu-Ray Review: Released just in time for the Academy Awards, the Blu-ray release of "Up in the Air" features a small but solid collection of extras. The commentary with director/co-writer Jason Reitman, director of photography Eric Steelberg, and first assistant director Jason Blumenfeld is incredibly informative, with Reitman ...
The Megalopolis trailer using fake reviews controversy, explained
Vulture's Bilge Ebiri soon discovered that various quotes attributed to film critics like Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, Vincent Canby and Andrew Sarris, among others, didn't actually link up with ...
Up in the Air Movie Review
May 23, 2012. age 15+. Not worth the effort. Not a feel-good movie. What a waste of time. A shallow film about a guy who realizes that his life is empty, but then does nothing to change it. Leaves you disappointed with the overall message that life is pointless, but it's not as bad when you have someone to share it with.
'Megalopolis' trailer pulled due to fake critic quotes
This movie trailer was recalled amid revelations that critics' quotes were made up. ... 1972 review of the film for The New Yorker. Ebert also did not write that Coppola's "Bram Stoker's ...
Up In The Air Review
15. Original Title: Up In The Air. As the anecdote goes, George Clooney took just one brisk read of the script, sat in one of the many bedrooms of his palatial villa on the tranquil shores of Lake ...
Roger Ebert's 10 greatest films of all time
Roger Ebert's 10 greatest films of all time. Zoetrope. "Apocalypse Now" (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Ebert wrote in 1999, " [S]een again now at a distance of 20 years, 'Apocalypse Now ...
Up movie review & film summary (2009)
"Up" is a wonderful film, with characters who are as believable as any characters can be who spend much of their time floating above the rain forests of Venezuela. They have tempers, problems and obsessions. They are cute and goofy, but they aren't cute in the treacly way of little cartoon animals. They're cute in the human way of the animation master Hayao Miyazaki. Two of the three central ...
List of accolades received by Up in the Air
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner.The film is an adaptation of the eponymous 2001 novel by Walter Kirn. Up in the Air was screened as a "sneak preview" at the Telluride Film Festival on September 6, 2009, before its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2009.
Air movie reviews & film summaries
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The 10 Worst Action Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert

10 'Fantastic Four' (2005)

Fantastic Four (2005)

9 'Wild Wild West' (1999)

Wild Wild West

8 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' (1970)

Tora! Tora! Tora!

7 'Death Rides a Horse' (1967)

6 'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot' (1992)

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

4 'Death Race' (2008)

3 'The Cannonball Run' (1981)

2 'Speed Zone' (1989)

1 'The Exterminator' (1980)

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