'Up in the Air': Clooney, the Recession and . . . Pupating Insects?

"Up in the Air" is a new film in which the recession plays a starring role. George Clooney gives a brilliant performance as the irascible corporate hatchet man Ryan Bingham, who spends more than 300 days a year traveling to various cities firing people for bosses who lack the courage to "downsize."

Based on Walter Kirn's novel, the film also presents juicy complexities that transcend these tough economic times. Bingham's combination of detachment and empathy enables him to serve as an emotional hazmat worker who skillfully counsels people during the most difficult periods of their lives.

In contrast, Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick,) a hyper-articulate, Ivy League overachiever who zaps the humanity and travel expense out of Bingham's gig by devising a way to "terminate" via teleconference, reveals herself as a romantic. She turns down a great job in San Francisco in order to follow her boyfriend to Omaha, and while traveling with Bingham to learn more about the business, pushes him to confess his morbid fear of human connection. Having witnessed his parents and grandparents pass away in separate nursing homes, Bingham is convinced that "we all die alone."

Despite his nomadic lifestyle, Bingham insists he's not really lonely since he's constantly surrounded by people. It struck me that this duality between human connection and isolation mirrors a phenomenon of the Facebook era. From my computer, I can discover daily life details about summer camp friends and old roommates whom I've welcomed back on my radar. I can also respond to a former colleague's post about her cancer treatment with a ten word (max) "hang in there" note without witnessing the terror in her eyes or voice. Or I can choose not to respond at all.

When Bingham's not firing people, he's racking up frequent-flyer miles giving motivational speeches about unloading from our proverbial backpacks the people who bog us down. Eventually, Bingham weights down his own backpack when he falls in love with a female version of himself, and is simultaneously recruited to participate in his sister's nuptials. He learns that he does crave human connection, but is it too late?

The recession indeed makes the movie timely. "It's one of the worst times on record for America," says Bingham's boss, played by Jason Bateman. "This is our moment." "Up in the Air" is not just of the moment. With compassion, humor, and Clooney's Oscar-worthy performance, Jason Reitman's film reveals the timeless truth about our larger human tendency to use booze, work, food, sex, flirtations, and other such silks to weave sturdy cocoons around ourselves. I won't ruin the ending; I'll just note that when insects pupate, they must escape in order to survive.