“How much does your life weigh?”
synopsis
Ryan Bingham travels the country firing employees for corporations that prefer outsourcing the unpleasant task. Detached and efficient, he lives for airline miles and emotional distance — until relationships begin disrupting his carefully curated solitude.
pairs well with ...
mini-review
This is office havoc at a systemic level. It’s not loud, but it’s quietly devastating. The film explores what happens when efficiency replaces empathy. Clooney gives one of his most restrained performances, and the tone walks a fine line between corporate satire and personal reckoning.
A solitary evening and introspection.
Absurdist's Corner
This is office havoc at a systemic level. It’s not loud, but it’s quietly devastating. The film explores what happens when efficiency replaces empathy. Clooney gives one of his most restrained performances, and the tone walks a fine line between corporate satire and personal reckoning.
fun facts
Directed by Jason Reitman, the movie was shot during the real 2008–09 recession, and many of the fired employees shown onscreen were actual non-actors sharing their own job-loss experiences.
George Clooney spent time with real “corporate downsizers” to understand the psychology of professional detachment.
Anna Kendrick earned her first Oscar nomination for her breakout supporting role.
The film is based on a novel by Walter Kirn, though the screenplay shifts focus more toward corporate culture than the book does.