So a few weeks we were given the teaser-trailer version of Jason Reitman’s “Up In The Air,” let’s call it the soulful version. Now arrives the theatrical trailer which is essentially, the mainstream, catch-the-most-flies-as-possible version. Granted, it does retain some of the moody, grace notes of the teaser and the film (that thankfully weigh out some of the more fauxoyalty, impersonal and narcissistic themes in the film), but the hyper-edited opening (set to Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”) is obnoxious and does tend to show off some of Reitman’s worst, pop-cinema tendencies. This version does reveal Zach Galifianakis,’ cameo in the film (yeah, we were surprised when we first saw it in the film too). If you haven’t heard ten trillion times by now George Clooney plays a sort of vapid corporate downsizer in the film, who eventually goes on to find his humanity. The film was met with raves at Telluride, but we suggest audiences manage their expectations somewhat, because it is good, but shy of brilliant.
The trailer also reveals something displayed at the end of the film at TIFF, too: the soundtrack album, that will probably feature artists used in the film like Graham Nash, Elliott Smith, Black Keys member gone solo Dan Auerbach, Woody Guthrie, Ben Kweller, Brad Smith’s “Help Yourself” — which is the song in the second half of this trailer and was originally written for the film — and Blige’s “I See in Color,” which plays over the film’s closing credits (and was submitted to Reitman unsolicited on a cassette): is coming out on Rhino Records presumably in late November given the scheduled date (though Amazon currently says the date is November 3, but that’s likely before the release date was shifted). “Up In The Air,” which also stars Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, lands in theaters in limited release on December 4.