Up In The Air

Have you recently lost your job? Is your business suffering because the consumer market is on a severe down? Have you felt the repercussions of the poor economy in any way, shape or form? If you are living anywhere in America right now, you probably answered “yes” to one of these questions. And if so, I highly recommend that you see this film. Director Jason Reitman has once again crafted a movie that drives its message home by focusing on characters through lightweight existentialism. Much like his prior films, Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Up In The Air takes a typically nontraditional protagonist and gives us a rare window into their unconventional existence. Reitman co-wrote the screenplay with Sheldon Turner, whose previous work is limited to mediocre horror film remakes and a bad Adam Sandler movie. Although it is based upon Walter Kirn’s novel of the same name, the film takes a vastly different approach than the original story. I would not be surprised if both Reitman and Turner take home an Oscar this year for their lofty adaptation.

George Clooney & Director/Screenwriter Jason Reitman

Reitman brings this typically unspoken situation of losing one’s job into the limelight and parades the victims around in a less than exalted manner. And through this, we ourselves see venerability, fear, and honest human emotion. The film begins with a montage of everyday people’s reactions to loosing their everyday jobs. Reitman employed real people, not actors, for this segment. Each one had recently been terminated in their real-life jobs and were asked to reenact what they actually said (or wish they’d said) when they found out the bad news. This sequence was an excellent introduction into the storyline that relates present day economic realities without trivializing them. Now even if you’ve been fired yourself, you probably haven’t seen someone else’s response to such a situation. It is far more unpredictable than most have ever witnessed. Firing a coworker is typically the last thing that anyone wants to perform them self, nonetheless someone has to do it—enter Ryan Bingham.

George Clooney as Ryan Bingham

Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, is a “career transition counselor” for Career Transition Counseling (CTC), an Omaha-based company whose sole responsibility is to intervene on the daunting task of laying-off employees for corporate executives who are too gutless to handle it themselves. “Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's because they sat there that they were able to do it.” This is Ryan Bingham’s borderline cliché response that he systematically feeds to people who are now eligible for unemployment benefits. In fact, much of the way Ryan manages his life is cliché. He believes in efficiency and opportunity above all, he lives for his job, and he has little affinity for anything else, including his home, his lovers and even his family. Clooney astutely combines his dramatic talents with the witty natured zeal that he has come to be known for. Ryan Bingham consumes us because of Clooney’s charismatic portrayal of this otherwise menial man. This is someone who spares no luxury while commuting from city to city for work, but lives in a barely furnished studio apartment that overlooks practically nothing. He boasts, “Last year, I spent 322 days on the road, which means I had to spend 43 miserable days at home.” Clearly this man has attachment issues. But putting the psychoanalyst hat aside, Ryan himself seems content with his impersonal existence and interprets this as “happiness”.

Clooney & Vera Farmiga

At a pivotal point, Bingham chance encounters another travel-holic in an airport lounge named Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) who seemingly lives as he does. Alex is a leggy, intelligent, full fledged romantic operative, who is basically the female version of him. She is his match in more ways than one. Almost immediately after they meet, the two quickly swap stories and business experiences, comparing each other’s privileges and membership perks in a series of inquisitive double-entendres. For people of their background, this is an obscure form of foreplay that eventually leads to them sleeping together. Before calling it a night, Alex assures him, “I am the woman you don’t have to worry about.” Farmiga has a magnificent connection with Clooney in this film. Their chemistry forges the characters like two elements of hydrogen with oxygen. They play off of one another’s complications and leave most everything else beyond the bedroom at the door, so we think.

Clooney hasn’t been this well matched since Brad Pitt in the Ocean’s Movies, and he’s not even a love interest. Farmiga delivers a confident and assertive performance while still maintaining a Baby Boom sense of feminism. We have seen this from her before in Scorsese’s The Departed, but not in so intricately a manner. Alex exposes a side of Ryan that few people have been able to do and we begin to see a side of him that is vulnerable, compassionate and human. She inadvertently lures Ryan into new territory, becoming his “plus one” in more ways than one.

Anna Kendrick as Natalie Keener

This revelation comes about almost directly as a result of Ryan’s recent interaction with his new protégé Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). She is a fresh-out-of-college recruit who concocts the idea of conducting layoffs remotely over the internet in order to cut overall company expenses. This threatens Bingham’s very lifestyle and he immediately objects to the concept. He asserts that Natalie is too young and too inexperienced to understand just how difficult firing someone can be. As a result, his boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman), assigns him to teach her the ropes. She soon embarks on her training under Ryan. From the very beginning, he imposes his travel standards upon her. One of his first lessons is on getting through airport security, “Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.” Natalie righteously objects, “That’s racist.” “I'm like my mother, I stereotype. It's faster.”

Clooney & Kendrick with J.K. Simmons

Natalie quickly learns that there is a lot more to firing people than just reciting a memorized script and handing out unemployment packets. Kendrick creates a character that is naive not only about her new job, but about how the world works and more importantly, how people work. When her long time boyfriend breaks up with her via text message, she has a complete emotional break down. Ryan’s response is, “Wow. That's kind of like getting fired over the internet.” And so Natalie finds herself at a point in her own life where she too is left to question her circumstances. So many young actors are inadvertently bred to be lazy when it comes to matters of true emotion—not Kendrick. Her youth does not hinder her presence in this role in the slightest. Her Broadway background carries onto the screen as we witness a performer who capitalizes on individual expression and inner monologue before all else.

Clooney

Reitman has crafted another fantastic portrayal of human happenstance that everyone can identify with, even if they can’t relate to specific incidents. This kind of consistency in his films is a rare sign of true film genius. Clooney, who already has a reputation for his commitment to making quality films with substantial story lines, also manages to impress. He proves again that despite his movie star status, he has integrity in his work and depth in his acting abilities. Much of the reason why the story is so alluring is because of the circumstances that surround Ryan Bingham. When he says, “To know me, is to fly with me,” we believe that his existence revolves around frequent flying and business ventures that are anywhere but home. But he soon discovers that he is much more than that and in the process, we too discover that he is much more than that. In the beginning, Ryan thrives on his isolation and independence, but realizes soon enough that perhaps life is better with family, friends, and loved ones. This film stretches beyond just the predicaments of firing people from their jobs. It is a profound insight into this man's life and how he manages to find a more profound sense of happiness than he ever knew.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A splendid contemporary glimpse into one man's ventures that induces us to reflect upon our own lives


"Help Yourself" performed by Sad Brad Smith

The Men Who Stare at Goats

“More of this is true than you would believe.” is the opening statement for this film that sets a pretext for an astonishing tale. At least, that is what one would assume. Such isn’t the case, however. We all know George Clooney to be the kind of ambitious actor/director/producer who seeks out good stories and challenges greatness in his projects. He teams up again with Grant Heslov, who he had previously collaborated with on Good Night, and Good Luck. Although they have swapped productions roles here (Clooney produces while Heslov directs), you would think that they would have come up with the same kind of brilliance that they concocted in 2005. Perhaps the major difference with this film is that it was NOT co-written by the two. Regardless of this, the story just doesn’t execute.

Peter Straughan, whose work spans over numerous genres including radio sitcoms and stage plays, is the screenwriter. This movie is based directly upon Jon Ronson’s nonfiction novel, of the same name, which reveals the details behind a secret government unit called the First Earth Battalion (renamed the New Earth Army in the film). Ronson is probably best known for his documentary film work and distinctive self-deprecating reporting style, which incorporates aspects of Gonzo journalism. Unfortunately, Straughan does not execute the same treatment of expression in his script. But aside from the actual literary approach, the story doesn’t even grasp this so-called veritable world of military intelligence. I do realize that this is a comedy, however so much more could have been brought to the storyline, particularly some of the actual tactics used by the US Army. Instead, the story becomes cliché and doesn’t actually seem believable, or humorous for that matter.

Ewan McGregor plays the lead character of Bob Wilton, who is based on Ronson himself. Wilton is a recently divorced journalist who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan (this is a bad omen to begin with). In an attempt to redeem himself to his wife and in his professional career, he ventures to Iraq at the height of the war in the Middle East in hopes to find some revolutionary story. This is idealistic and hopeless on his part. Wilton is vastly pathetic, insecurely emotional and needlessly irrational. How could anyone possibly respect such a bloke? McGregor manages to be likeable here, despite his deplorable character. But it is not the same kind of allure that he has had in such films as Moulin Rouge! and Trainspotting.

The irony that this film is about these so-called Jedi Warriors and that Ewan McGregor is the main character is humorous in itself. They make references to Star Wars throughout the entire movie. Since McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episodes 1 through 3 of the Star Wars saga, it adds an element of strangeness to his character here. Wilton is someone who is trying to coop with his wife leaving him for his one-armed boss and his own mediocrity in his professional life. His solution is to go to Iraq and write a groundbreaking story that would give him a career boost and personal redemption. Seems simple enough right? Not really. He inadvertently finds himself chasing a story about so-called psychic warriors, enter George Clooney.

In Kuwait City, Wilton inadvertently meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney) at a hotel while waiting for his chance to cross into Iraq. After an accidental interrogation, Wilton unveils that Cassady was once a member of the New Earth Army and is currently on a top-secret mission for the government. Cassady goes onto to explain his role and exactly how he came to be a part of this select group of psychic spies trained to use paranormal powers against the country's enemies known as the Jedi. It is around this point in the film where you start to roll your eyes. It’s not even that the scenario is so inconceivable, but that the reproach is utterly ridiculous. Clooney’s character is supposed to be this psychic guru, the most talented of all the Jedi. But all he really accomplishes throughout the story is extreme exasperation.

If there is anything or anyone to commend in this film it is Jeff Bridges. His performance as Bill Django, a Vietnam War vet turned hippie, is ridiculously charismatic. The character himself is based on real combat commander Jim Channon, who sought ways to make war dramatically less violent by using methods based around advanced human performance and the human potential movement. Channon spent two years in the 1970s investigating new age movements that subsequently resulted in an illustrated 150-page field manual entitled “Evolutionary Tactics” published by the U.S. Army in 1978. Bill Django, however, is less contemplative than Channon and finds foolheaded methods to train his so-called Jedi to be “warrior monks”. Through a series of flashbacks, we come to learn about Django’s initial endeavors and experiments, some wildly insane but all entertaining, all thanks to Bridges. As this flower toting-peace loving-weed smoking-Army officer, Bridges put forth his best performance since The Dude from the Coen Brother’s classic cult film, The Big Lebowski.

Kevin Spacy also headlines the supporting cast as the self-absorbed despicable sergeant Larry Hooper. Spacy isn’t anything special in this film. But that rests upon the fact that his character isn’t much himself. Hooper is an ambitious newcomer to the New Earth Army who eventually takes over the Team after he gets Django kicked out in disgrace. Hooper makes it very easy to hate him, and really only is looking out for number one. This self-preservation theme is reminiscent of The Italian Job, but without the big financial motive.

As things progressively go wrong for Wilton and Cassady during their mission, Wilton understandably starts to wonder if Cassady really is a Jedi Warrior with paranormal abilities or if he’s just plain crazy. Cassady blames it all on a "curse" he inadvertently acquired during an experiment in which he stared at a goat until its heart stopped beating. "The dark side took the dream and twisted it." "None of it was real," sites Wilton at one point. With material like this, one would have liked a more incisive comedy to materialize around the decline and fall of the New Age movement. The New Earth Army bears some historical significance because of the context for which it is based. Did our government allocate funds towards the development of a psychic team of soldiers? This question itself poses much intrigue for not only those who are supernatural zealots, but for the tax paying public on the whole. This story could easily have been converted onto the screen in a different way. A psychological thriller that breeds from the mystery of The X-Files and the human turmoil during wartime of Apocalypse Now, could have been a great screen epic. This film farce that plays upon the stupidity of its characters is mediocre at best.

This is not typically the kind of film I would go see to begin with. I am not someone who typically revels in the comedy of human situations. But that isn’t even why I disliked this movie. It’s supposed to be about psychic soldiers, super heroes if you will, and more interestingly, how our military has tried to use such people as weapons. Believable? Not really. Entertaining? Only somewhat. For me personally, The Men Who Stare at Goats just does not come together. There are ridiculous characters that seemingly have metaphysical abilities but aside from the dream sequences and flashbacks, you almost never see any of them performed. It basically just implies that these Jedi have extra ordinary talents. And it seems like you’re watching a version of the X-Men where they are all stoned and mental half-wits. “We’re Jedi. We don’t fight with guns, we fight with our minds.” Mind war indeed; I have been mentally trying to beat-up Clooney and Heslov since I left the theater.

Rating: ★ ★
Bottom Line: They showed every good funny scene in the 3-minute preview. Save yourself the grief & disappointment, and stay home.