Up in the Air (2009 film)

Up in the Air is an Oscar-nominated 2009 film directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You for Smoking). The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Walter Kim. Reitman's father, Ivan Reitman, purchased the rights to the script in 2003. The film, which stars George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, was named one of 2009's Best 10 Movies by the American Film Institute.

Up in the Air was nominated for six 2010 Oscar Award, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Adapted). George Clooney took a nomination for Best Acto, and co-stars Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga both up for Best Supporting Actress. The movie also won awards for its screenplay at both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.

The film was nominated for six nominations each at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Oscars.http://www.goldenglobes.org/ http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-awards-nominations,949,BA.html

According to Reitman, the film is "the examination of a philosophy. What if you decided to live hub to hub, with nothing, with nobody?"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574390600167135462.html?mod=googlenews_wsj "In one sense, it's a movie about a man who fires people for a living," says Reitman. "In another sense, it's a movie about a man who collects air miles excessively. In another sense, it's about a man who meets a woman who's so similar to him that even though they both believe in the idea of living solo, they begin to fall in love.http://oscar-watch.ew.com/2009/09/09/toronto-preview-all-eyes-on-up-in-the-air/

Up in the Air was released to mostly favorable reviews. Metacritic rated the film 83 out of 100, while Rotten Tomatoes measured the movie at 90%. Both sites base their ratings on an aggregation of critics' reviews, using different formulations.http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/up_in_the_air_2009/ http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/upintheair

As a "career transition counselor", Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a frequent air traveler. Bingham as he is hired by companies to fire their employees when they are too cowardly to do so themselves. He is also a motivational speaker, giving "What's in Your Backpack?" speeches promoting lives free of relationships. His two stated goals in life are to acquire the magical number of ten million frequent flyer miles and to land a job at a management company called MythTech. He begins his final journey towards his goals by visiting eight cities in six days. During his business travel he meets a fellow frequent flyer named Alex and a relationship develops. Meanwhile, Bingham's boss (Jason Bateman) is considering a plan by Bingham's co-worker Natalie (Kendrick) to institute a remote-firing program in lieu of face-to-face dismissals.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/plotsummary

• Best Picture
• Directing, Jason Reitman
• Actor in a Leading Role, George Clooney
• Actress in a Supporting Role, Vera Farmiga
• Actress in a Supporting Role, Anna Kendrick
• Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner