Up in the Air

Jason Reitman did not leave the firing scenes to actors. He ran newspaper advertisements in St. Louis and Detroit inviting people who had just lost their jobs into a documentary about job loss, saying documentary to keep actors away. Of 100 replies, 60 went in front of the camera, spoke about their story for around 10 minutes, then were fired on camera and answered with what they had really said, or wished they had said. 22 of them are in the finished film. The aerial material is not stock: 8 of the 50 shooting days went to filming from the air and 3 days proved unusable. American Airlines and Hilton paid nothing for product placement and waived location fees instead, so the density of brands on screen is not sold advertising space. The film took six nominations across five Academy Award categories: Best Picture, Directing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Actor in a Leading Role for George Clooney, and Actress in a Supporting Role for both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. It won none. A good fit if you can watch the firing scenes knowing most of the people across the desk had just lost their jobs. Not for a viewer who wants Ryan’s choice resolved; the film leaves him at a departures board, letting go of his bag.