Trailer!: Up in the Air

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Trailer!: Up in the Air

POSTED: Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 5:31 PM

Filed Under: Movies

Holy George Clooney, Batman! If this isn't the Silver Fox's year, I don't know what is. So far, loyal Trailer! readers, we've parsed Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, with Clooney as the titular character (verdict: excited for the stop-motion animation, love Roald Dahl adaptations, worried about the voice talent) and Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats (verdict: classic Coen Bros. Clooney, lovin' the supporting cast). And now we have the teaser for Up in the Air, the follow-up from Juno director Jason Reitman, who I think hasn't made a great movie yet but has a James L. Brooks affability to his style of filmmaking. Could this be his Terms of Endearment? The trailer is vague so lemme illuminate you plotwise: Clooney essentially plays a professional fire-r. He goes from company to company and figures out who can go and who can stay (think the two Bobs from Office Space). He lives out of suitcase, has very few personal attachments and his main goal in life is to hit something like ten million frequent flyer miles. That is, until he meets Vera Farmiga's character and falls in love and what not.

Since this is fest season (that glorious time before studios get really down and dirty with award season theatrical releases), I've heard bits of buzz from early trades and all signs to this movie being excellent. Out of his three films coming out like now, this is surely the one that will garner Clooney some sort of award season support considering that the Oscars hate joy and love sad things. Reitman has talked about how this started as a comedy but, as the cultural winds changed in that everyone and their mothers were economically fucked, it began to take on a more serious tone. And that's what worries me. As I've said before, I think Juno missed the mark because it lacked an emotional center and, while I've blamed that on screenwriter Diablo Cody, I'm not entirely sure that Reitman is mature enough as a director to take on the delicate dramedy genre.

But look at that cast! Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons (who were recently seen together in Mike Judge's Extract)! Danny McBride! Zach Galifinakis! (And Sam Elliot, who you don't see in the trailer but I secretly wish would narrate my life, a la The Big Lebowski). But I'm most interested in this Anna Kendrick girl, who plays a young exec biting at Clooney's heels. I'm sure Reitman had his pick of young, attractive, higher profile actresses but went with the chick who (despite a successful theater career) is best known for having the most boring part in Twilight. What gives?

So what do you all think? Lukewarm pap or genre-busting classic? If George Clooney and Cary Grant had a charisma-off, who would win?

Up in the Air opens in theaters December 4, 2009.

UPDATE: Since the powers that be decided to take down the trailer, here's a scene between Clooney and Farmiga.

Down in the Dirt
by ThePlaylist

Lauren

Posted 2009-09-09 13:14:04

Personally, I love Anna Kendrick for her totally captivating, completely insane turn in the otherwise terribly-acted Camp and for her more-twisted-than-Tracy-Flick character in Rocket Science. I think she's kinda brilliant & am psyched to see her in a new film with Big Stars. But that's just me.

may

Posted 2009-09-10 20:02:47

Thank you for sharing it with us.. I like it!

Posted 2009-09-10 21:06:09

No, it's not just you, Lauren. There are a lot of us Anna Kendrick fans out there. annakendrickonline.org

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 5:31 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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