Jason Reitman: Flying Solo

You can learn a lot from director Jason Reitman; after all, with only three features to his name—Thank You For Smoking, Juno, and the upcoming George Clooney vehicle Up in the Air—he's already established himself as one of the brightest filmmakers around, with a knack for making smart and human comedies, and he's barely into his thirties. For Reitman, the reason he gravitated so strongly towards his biggest hit, the Oscar-winning Juno, which made stars out of screenwriter Diablo Cody and actress Ellen Page, is because he loved the unusual decisions of its characters. “I have no idea where my characters come from or what they do," said Reitman. "I just think of them as human beings.”

Keeping in mind Reitman's love of "unusual decisions,"  it’s no wonder that he veered from the usual Apple Store Meet the Filmmaker Talk format of a moderator, publicist, movie clips, and formal introductions, to create a far more intimate, nuanced and audience-interactive experience. Clad in the classic 2009 filmmaker attire of a plaid shirt, T-shirt, and brown jeans, Reitman stood in front of an ever-growing crowd by himself and spoke candidly. There was a wide range of subjects, and he started with the challenges of growing up in his father’s (Ivan "Ghostbusters" Reitman) shadow, which initially caused him some hestiation when it came to directing: "I’m the son of a famous director…more likely I’ll be a failure on a very public level."

Reitman didn't fail, however—even if he does define filmmaking as "learning from your mistakes"—and he had a host of practical advice for contemporary filmmakers. “The job of the director is to manipulate people to do something they don’t want to do.” He went on to discuss his personal connection to Up In the Air, and I kid you not, his love for the democratic nature of film festivals. (Festival exposure has been integral to the success of Reitman's films.) He even gave Tribeca a shout out!

As Reitman sauntered back and forth across the stage in order to address each audience question personally, I couldn’t get over his striking balance of casualness punched with spurts of acute insightfulness. Even his serious moments were funny and unexpected. How unexpected? Well, Reitman revealed that he instinctively knows after reading a script (and he’s read thousands) that it needs to be his next project when the thought of another filmmaker directing the screenplay “would feel like another man was f**cking my wife.”

Point taken, Reitman.

Even if Up in the Air is a quarter as interesting as Reitman’s honesty barometer on that cold Friday at the Apple Store, audiences around the country are in store for a real treat and, most likely, some emotional turbulence…
 

Up in the Air opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 4. Keep up with Reitman on his Twitter page.

Check out the trailer: