Up in the Air!

I read a lot of books that have been adapted into movies. More often than not, the books are far superior. There is simply too much information in a book that can't be portrayed on screen in a reasonable time.

Generally they (Directors) take a great book (Often too grand in scale to literally adapt in full), take a single storyline, copy a few of the best moments and make a decent adaptation (Catch 22, Wonder Boys), sometimes they take a good book (Generally having a much more simple narrative to a Great book) and are able to stay closely to the entire narrative, enhance the best parts that I mix the two together (Fight Club, The Road). Sometimes it's a bad book made into a bad movie (DaVinci Code - Sorry Dan Brown fans). More often than not, they simply take any book (Good or Great) and fuck it up (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Stardust)

Then there are the bad books (although they may have redeeming qualities), where the true skill of a great director comes into place. Up in the Air is a perfect example of this.

I won't review the book, but know that while it had some of the same themes as the movie, that fact that Jason Reitman turned it into a great movie is an amazing achievement!

Now, my point is that I read this book before watching the movie, and was expecting a light film about a man who spends most of his life on the road and is within arms reach of his one million frequent flier miles, and what it all means to him. What I got was so much more!

A film about a guy who flies around for more than three quarters of his life, who's most real human connections was firing people could be, at the very least, an extremely depressing film. I imagined the laughs to be about (to quote Fight Club) "Single Serving Friends", and the firings to be about people freaking out and breaking things (haha).

Instead, the traveling man (George Clooney) is logical and content with his life, the firings (actually recently fired people) are touching.

I don't want to give any of the film away, but I will say that, like many good books, Jason Reitman has made a touching, funny and moving film that has well rounded and complete characters that are real and a story and narrative that is unusual, surprising and fun. Go See this movie (and root for it during the Academy Awards where it should be recognized!)


BTW, The Director also did this with another average book (Thank You for Smoking), so I shouldn't have been surprised!







-k