New Trailer and Release Date for ‘Up in the Air’

Chances are you’re familiar with Jason Reitman’s last movie, Juno.  The film garnered him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Director, though screenwriter and former erotic dancer Diablo Cody, along with “it girl” Ellen Page stole most of his thunder.  For most people, Reitman’s name probably doesn’t ring any bells.

With Up in the Air, that might be about to change. And we have a trailer that will show you why.

Up in the Air, adapted from a bestselling novel by Walter Kirn, stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a middle-aged professional down-sizer.  Bingham spends the majority of his days traveling, going from city to city playing message boy for bosses who don’t have the heart to tell their employees that they’re fired.  His life’s goal is racking up ten million frequent flyer miles; he keeps his relationships casual so he’s free to fly whenever business calls.

Of course all that’s going to change over the course of the movie, something involving his sometime-girlfriend played by Vera Farmiga, and a professional shake-up brought about by corporate rising star and possible romantic interest, played by Anna Kendrick.  Jason Bateman and Danny McBride round out the solid cast.

The trailer looks pretty good, starting with upbeat pop and some humorous scenes reminiscent of Juno, establishing a light tone with Clooney as an un-tethered lothario, but then hinting at some of the darker stuff to come, replete with a slow tempo acoustic tune. Check it out:

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UP IN THE AIR THEATRICAL TRAILER

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The buzz from Toronto and Telluride has been great, with the witty dialogue earning lots of laughs, though the story is ultimately sad and reflective.  Sounds like the closest movie comparison might be to Alexander Payne’s droll story about aging, About Schmidt.

Like Payne’s film, Up in the Air has the makings of a critical and commercial success.  The concept of a man-without-a-home finally settling down and finding the love he’s been searching for is as timeless as The Odyssey.  And Clooney, hot off his Michael Clayton tour-de-force, runs with the role.  Perhaps he finds some resonance in a guy who worries about aging and disdains the emotional baggage of a mature relationship?  This has Oscar written all over it.

So when you can see it?

Well, there’s been a lot of see-sawing on the release date.  Originally planned for December 4^th, that was changed to a limited November 13^th release, followed by a wider November 25^th release after the positive reception at the festivals.  But Clooney’s already all over November, with The Men Who Stare at Goats coming out on November 6^th, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, in which he voices the title character, hitting screens November 25^th.  So, Paramount decided to push Up in the Air back into December again.  The current plan is for a limited release on December 4^th and a wide release December 25^th.

Source: Slash Film & Apple Movie Trailers