IESB Reader Marlowe sent in a review of George Clooney's latest UP IN THE AIR directed by Jason Reitman that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival this year.

See what he thought below,

I've written in before, notably an early scathing review of HANCOCK (yup, I saw the version in which Will Smith's super-sperm blew holes through a silverstream RV when he ejaculated but I digress).

Let me begin by saying that this summer has been a bust. The only highlights being smaller films like MOON & HURT LOCKER. The major tentpoles have all had problems. Even one of the better ones like STAR TREK has some glaring plot problems.

So when something like UP IN THE AIR (UITA) comes around it restores my faith in film. Jason Reitman in his third film shows such a level of confidence that it is kind of scary. Where does he go from here? UITA is going to be one of the best films of the year. George Clooney will be nominated for best actor. Clooney has never been so good.

In fact, I feel he was born to play this character called Ryan Bingham. This is the Clooney who dashes around Italy on a motorbike with an Italian lap-dancer strapped to his back. This is a character Clooney was born to play: always impeccably dressed. Meticulous in his words, basically a throwback to the great stars of yesteryear.

In the film, he's a professional Firer... yup, the big companies fly Clooney around when they don't have the balls to fire a long time employee and he's good at it. He's got it down to a science. He lives his life up in the air, he has no attachments, he has an empty apartment, he's a stranger to his family, nothing tethers him to this world... and that's the way he likes it. His only goal in life is to accumulate enough air miles so he can get the top secret super-platinum card given to you by the pilot himself. Of course his way of life is threatened once a young whipper-snapper comes into the office & comes up with a way to save the company loads of money by grounding Clooney and the staff of flying assholes who's job it is to fire you.

The solution: They will fire people by web-conference. Being fired by web-conference! It's next level demeaning.

Clooney freaks at the notion of not being able to accumulate his air miles and in a great scene, he completely schools the young Ivy-league girl on why firing people over a web camera will not work. Clooney is masterful in this scene. MAST-ER-FUL! Cary Grant crossed with Warren Beatty. He's amazing to watch.

At the heart of the film is the notion of what drives us in life and what's most important to us as human beings. Clooney is a superficial jerk who meets a superficial lady (the amazing Vera Farmiga, there's a great ass-shot in the film, astounding)... they strike up a very modern relationship. They have palpable chemistry in the film. They meet all over America in swanky hotel rooms but there's no strings attached. I don't want to spoil the film but by the end Clooney's character wants more from life and from the girl... of course by then, it may be too late.

I saw the film last week. And I still haven't been able to shake it. It was a test screening but it was a near perfect film, except for one minor dream sequence which was a little on the nose. In the film, Clooney says he's crisscrossed the world so many times that he could've gone to the moon. Well, you can guess what the dream sequence is: Clooney dressed like an old-timey astronaut floating up through buildings in downtown Omaha. It's trippy but felt out of character for the film.

The film tackles all the big questions of life, prime among them: What is the meaning of life? It's relevant because it deals with corporate downsizing. There's so many levels to the film and I don't want to spoil to much. Basically, UITA is an absolutely amazing film. Love it and can't wait to see it again. As a former Montrealer, it's great to see Montreal born Jason Reitman hitting it out of the park or in hockey parlance "scoring a hat trick."

Call me Marlowe.

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