Book, 2001 by Walter KirnRyan Bingham’s job as a Career Transition Counselor–he fires people–has kept him airborne for years. Although he has come to despise his line of work, he has come to love the culture of what he calls “Airworld,” finding contentment within pressurized cabins, anonymous hotel rooms, and a wardrobe of wrinkle-free slacks. With a letter of resignation sitting on his boss’s desk, and the hope of a job with a mysterious consulting firm, Ryan Bingham is agonizingly close to his ultimate goal, his Holy Grail: one million frequent flier miles. But before he achieves this long-desired freedom, conditions begin to deteriorate.
With perception, wit, and wisdom, Up in the Air combines brilliant social observation with an acute sense of the psychic costs of our rootless existence, and confirms Walter Kirn as one of the most savvy chroniclers of American life.
Movie, 2009 directed by Jason ReitmanFeatures: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Tagline: The story of a man ready to make a connection.
Awards: It was nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Picture, but won none.
Did you know? Everything that George Clooney wears in the movie actually fits into a carry-on bag.
Have you read the book or seen the movie? Did you know anyone that played an extra in the film (since a lot was filmed in St. Louis)?
I saw the movie and liked it, but I think all the hype surrounding it made me enjoy it less in the end. I knew 2 people that were extras. One was in an elevator scene and the other in a restaurant.
