The ‘Up in the Air’ Ending Still Awes Me

Make no mistake; he is in the middle of the greatest of battles

Ryan Bingham has to travel a lot for work. Emphasis on a lot. As he tells us himself in the first scenes of Up in the Air (2009), he is the most at home when he is “on the road.”

He flies from one city to the next to get busy with the difficult task of firing people. That’s right. He has to tell them they will no longer get a paycheck, and who knows when the next one will come. And, man, is he good at it. There are even moments when people are grateful he fired them.

Still, his whole world is about to come crashing down when newcomer Natalie Keener — played with a delightful mix of spark and gravity by Anna Kendrick — convinces Ryan’s boss about the need to make changes. Basically, instead of having to travel, the plan is to fire people through conference calls.

Ryan is not only scared but also offended. After all, there is a certain element of art about what he does. Besides, this lifestyle has helped him avoid that pesky thing called deep connection with…anybody. To make things more difficult, he has just met Alex, a woman who seems to be everything he ever dreamed of — sexy, smart, fun, and just as detached and busy as he is.

The stage has been set: this is a man about to lose everything he holds dear, which, ironically, is…nothing.

A Sky-High Goal

I remember the first time I watched this Jason Reitman film. In his trademark style, it is funny while being heartbreaking — a “dramedy,” as they like to call them. In my humble opinion, this is Reitman at his finest. I think it is because of the dose of existential crisis the movie manages to squeeze by us. Maybe we all have to face that moment when we ask ourselves: What the hell have I been doing so far? And what the hell am I going to do next?

In any case, Ryan reluctantly sets up to train Natalie while the new system is being prepared. He knows his days up there will soon come to an end, but he will not go down without a fight. After all, not only is this his ideal way of living, but he hasn’t reached his magical number of miles. You see, he has a figure in mind, and it is sky high…

Still, as he gets to know Alex and has to keep on mentoring Natalie and get back in touch with his family, he notices the most surprising thing: having people around him, and sharing moments with them, is not actually that bad. Heck, he even surprises himself having fun.

And then, when he reaches a life goal, to give a conference in one of the most sought-after venues, he realizes this accomplishment doesn’t taste half as good when you are carrying nothing but your lonely bones, and goes in desperate search of Alex.

A Point of No Return

This is probably Mr. Reitman’s greatest accomplishment. That moment when Ryan recognizes he needs people in his life is not at all sentimental, nor is it presented to us through rosy glasses. Still, we can feel the power of his determination; we can almost hear him thinking, “Yes! I want this!”

And, in a stroke of genius, just where other movies would have given us a scene full of kisses by the sunset, instead, we get thrown against a wall of coldness and disappointment. In case you haven’t watched, I won’t reveal here exactly what happens. Still, I have to say, poor Ryan.

Yes, he risked wearing his heart on a sleeve, embraced the fact that he wanted it all, and then got reality smashed against his face. Still, that’s not the worst part.

You see, now he knows. There’s no going back for him.

A Man Goes Back To Normal

After that, and in a moment that should have brought him great happiness, Ryan not only reaches his desired number of miles but also learns he will get to keep on flying. Kudos to Mr. Clooney here — his eyes scream at us, “What for?”

Everything is supposed to go back to normal. His job, life, and travels. Everything will remain the same…except for him. He has changed, which sucks because now he is aware of his misery, loneliness, and the emptiness of his coming and goings.

There is nothing worse than having felt happiness just within your grasp, so close you could almost smell it…and then having no choice but to witness how it fades away. Scratch that — it was never yours, to begin with.

Can you imagine finding out who you are, for real, realizing it doesn’t fully satisfy you, and coming to the conclusion there isn’t that much you can do about it because you have a role to play?

That, dear reader, is terrifying.

And Then There’s That Final Scene

The Hero’s Journey tells us that, by the end, our main character must have changed. Well, we could argue his circumstances have gone back to what they used to be…but he hasn’t.

The man in front of us is very different from the one we met in those first scenes, even when he is supposed to be home… which brings me to the very final scene.

The first time I watched it, 12 years ago, it hit me as an extremely depressing moment. There was Ryan, sad beyond words, staring at a board of destinations, and it seemed to me that he was contemplating the desolation of the rest of his life.

However, before writing this piece, I decided to read the script to freshen up my memory. By the way, what a script! This is where my perception of the ending changed.

INT. OMAHA AIRPORT — DAY
Ryan walks through the automated door. He looks like he did
in the opening of the film. Maybe even wearing the same
clothes. Something is different though.

RYAN (V.O.)
Tonight, most people will be
welcomed home by jumping dogs and
squealing kids. Their spouses will
ask about their day and tonight
they’ll sleep.

Ryan stops and looks up at a GIANT BOARD OF DESTINATIONS. An
endless list of cities around the world. A menu of new lives
departing every five minutes.

RYAN (V.O.)
The stars will wheel forth from their
daytime hiding places.

We look back at Ryan. His eyes lock on one of the cities. We
don’t see which one. He makes a mental decision and turns in
the direction of the gate. He lets go of his ROLL-AWAY.

RYAN (V.O.)
And one of those lights, slightly
brighter than the rest, will be my
wingtip, passing over, blessing them.

Ryan takes a step, but before his foot can land we…

CUT TO CLOUDS

Upon reading those lines, the ending seemed less bleak. Yes, there is sadness, but not emptiness. So, of course, my next step was to rewatch the film, something I fully recommend. It is a great movie.

As the ending approached, I got excited. Here it was, the moment of truth. I focused all of my attention on Mr. Clooney’s eyes…and, sure enough, this is not a happy man. However, this is a person who is now in a quest.

This journey will not involve fights and dragons, nor will he learn to wield a sword. But make no mistake; he is in the middle of the greatest of battles.

In the end, and despite everything that happened, it was Alex who posed the right questions: What does Ryan want? What does he actually want? Who is he, for real? So, yes, the movie ends, but, clearly, his journey has just begun.

And that, my friends, that’s how you make a wonderful ending for a magnificent movie. I predict that, should I watch again in another 12 years — hopefully, we all are still around by then — I will still be in awe.