The Movie
I fly for work just enough to hate the experience; the stress, the crowding, sometimes the humiliation. Then again, I don't travel in the rarified atmosphere of first-class cabins and executive lounges like Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), the frequent flyer at the center of Up in the Air. (Not to be confused with fellow Best Picture nominee UP, funny how that works out.)
He's well on his way to breaking the all-time mileage record when we meet him, which means he's in airports and airplanes more than at home or in the office, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Ryan's business is firing people, plain and simple, and business is great in our current economy, so good that he is paired with a young hotshot (Anna Kendrick) who has newfangled ideas for terminating via remote video conference. This approach will save time and money, but where's the love?
Ryan has remained happily free of any human attachments, but that begins to change when he meets the lovely, frisky Alex (Vera Farmiga). After living his most of his life in self-imposed isolation, despite the teeming masses, can he make this connection? The story is rich with subtle, honest moments, and Clooney's restrained performance in particular is on a par with Michael Clayton as one of the finest of his career. If I can find one fault with the movie, it's the subplot about Ryan's sideline as a part-time motivational speaker, teaching people to go through life as unencumbered as possible. That drives his character's philosophy home a bit too hard, whereas the rest of the movie displays an exquisitely delicate touch.
Check in with Tom Fugalli's review of Up in the Air, too.
The Picture
The 1.85:1 image is outstanding, with ample natural detail and mild film grain. The style of the film incorporates crisp images of America from the air, which offer breathtaking perspective. George's five o'clock shadow is on full display, and despite some video noise on fine print or tricky textures, I marveled at the lack of compression artifacts or other typically intrusive flaws. This is an extremely well-executed master.
The Sound
The music has apparently been mixed/remixed with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 in mind, to pleasing effect in terms of both separation and clarity. Voices are generally clear and strong, and narration in particular has a special boldness. There might be a touch of wind in the surrounds, and some respectable bass crops up here and there. And one of the best dramatic moments occurs with a purely sonic revelation during a scene about an hour and five minutes in, as a voice is deftly placed in the rears. Witness the power of good audio: It inspired an "Oh, man..." from me.
The Extras
Writer/director Jason Reitman, director of photography Eric Steelberg and first assistant director Jason Blumenfeld come together for the shared audio commentary track, while "Shadowplay: Before the Story" (two-and-a-half minutes) explores Reitman's tradition of distinctive title sequences. The music video for Sad Brad Smith's "Help Yourself" (one minute) is a montage of movie scenes and behind-the-scenes footage. The so-called Storyboards (one-and-a-half minutes) are actually rough video walkthroughs to help visualize certain scenes, with stand-ins, an interesting technique.
Thirteen deleted, extended and alternate scenes are assembled with optional director commentary (23 minutes in all). They're all worth watching if we enjoyed the movie, most notably an extended sequence of Ryan nesting in his "home" city of Omaha. Last up is a bit of fun on the airplane set, less than a minute. These video extras are all presented in high-bitrate MPEG-2.
I do feel as though a Digital Copy should have been included however, especially considering the $40 list price. I'd like to watch the movie again, perhaps even on my next flight.
Final Thoughts
Well-acted, well-directed and--let's face it--well-timed, this tale of a corporate terminator daring to reach out is a touching one, with fine audio/video quality and extras that expand upon the artistry within.
Product Details
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