Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn.

 

The plot centres around a corporate¹ "downsizer" Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and his travels. The timely odyssey² of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and consummate³ modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection.

 

Ryan has long been contented⁴ with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental⁵ cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he's a pampered⁶, elite⁷ member of every travel loyalty⁸ program in existence; and he's close to attaining⁹ his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles-and yet... Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.

 

When he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Anna Kendrick), threatens to permanently¹⁰ call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect¹¹, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate¹² what it might actually mean to have a home.

 

Filming was primarily in St. Louis, Missouri, which substituted for a number of other cities shown in the film. Several scenes were also filmed in Detroit, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami, Florida.

 

Reitman heavily promoted Up in the Air with personal appearances during film festivals and other showings, starting with the Telluride Film Festival on September 5, 2009. The Los Angeles premiere was at the Mann Village Theater on Monday, November 30, 2009. Paramount¹³ scheduled a limited North American release on December 4, 2009, broadening the release on December 11, 2009, with a wide release on December 23, 2009.

 

Up in the Air was well received and was recognized from numerous critics' associations, including the National Board of Review and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, which named the film Best Picture of 2009. It received eight Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations¹⁴ and garnered¹⁵ a win for Adapted Screenplay, six Golden Globe nominations, earning a win for Best Screenplay, and three Screen Actors Guild¹⁶ nominations. It received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

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