Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Jason Reitman’s (Juno, Young Adult) Golden Globe-winning film Up in the Air became available to stream for Amazon Prime members this week. Trust me when I say that, eight years after its release, this whip smart movie is well worth a revisit or a first-time screening.
The 2009 film stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and a then-unknown Anna Kendrick. All three actors received Oscar nominations for their roles. None of them won. Up in the Air was also nominated for (and didn’t win) Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. I’m still upset.
Viewers came for Clooney’s captivating and heart-wrenching performance as corporate road warrior Ryan Bingham, but they left talking about a young Anna Kendrick who gave the best performance of her career as Natalie Keener, Bingham’s headstrong business partner. Seriously, she has yet to do it better than that.
Somehow, after all of this success, Up still seemed to be overlooked. Maybe critics were distracted by the other Up that came out in the same year. (The Pixar one with the really sad opening. Which actually won Oscars.) Or maybe The Academy was too obsessed with Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and Precious to give anyone else some awards. (Wow, apparently 2009 was a fantastic year for film.)
Whatever the reason, I think now is the perfect time to give this quiet film a second chance. Stream Up in the Air on Amazon Prime today. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you will thank it (or curse it) for making Anna Kendrick a star.
Cody Schmitz is a writer based in New York and Kansas. He doesn’t have a Twitter for some reason, but you can still find him at codyschmitz.com.
