‘The plane movie I’ll watch anytime’: why Up in the Air is my feelgood movie
In a Guardian series where writers celebrate their favourite comfort films, one contributor explains why the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, remains their go-to feelgood film, particularly for watching on flights. Directed by Jason Reitman and based on Walter Kirn's novel, the film follows corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham, whose life of near-constant air travel is upended when a young colleague's plan to conduct redundancies via video call threatens his profession and forces him to reassess his rootless existence.
The writer, who travelled extensively in their early twenties around the time of the film's release, says it captured their own wanderlust and has become a film watched repeatedly during journeys. Beyond its depiction of airport life and Clooney's meticulous travel routine, the piece highlights the film's emotional core: Bingham's empathy towards those he lays off, a doomed romance with a character played by Vera Farmiga, and themes around duty of care in the workplace that the writer finds newly relevant amid the rise of AI.
In short
- Guardian writer picks Up in the Air as their feelgood comfort film.
- 2009 film stars George Clooney as a corporate downsizer who travels constantly.
- Writer says its themes on empathy and AI feel newly relevant today.
Explained simply
Up in the Air is a 2009 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer whose job involves flying across America to fire people on behalf of employers. The film follows Bingham's carefully managed life of constant air travel as it is disrupted when a younger colleague proposes using video calls to conduct redundancies instead.
The Guardian is running a series in which writers discuss their favourite comfort films—films they return to repeatedly for reassurance or enjoyment. This article is a contribution to that series, examining why Up in the Air resonates with one writer as a film worth watching repeatedly, particularly during flights.
Beyond its literal focus on airport life and travel routines, the film explores deeper themes around human connection, responsibility in the workplace, and the emotional cost of disconnection. It features a romance with a character played by Vera Farmiga and examines Bingham's complicated empathy towards the people he lays off.
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