Word: bingham
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Watching Up in the Air, moviegoers are likely to be impressed by the obsession of Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) to reach 10 million frequent flyer miles. It is easy to fantasize about the perks that status might bring: front-of-the-line access, voyages to remote beaches at the price of nothing, expensive wines, surprise treats.... But before you stuff some shirts into a carry-on and prepare to brave the skies as Bingham does in the film, be aware that the glories of becoming an American Airlines 10 million miler have been given a little movie-magic...
...When Bingham hits his 10 million-mile goal during a flight from Chicago to Omaha, he receives a surprise champagne celebration onboard, and American Airlines' chief pilot appears for a congratulatory sit-down visit. Bingham, already the owner of an impressive graphite card (a status invented by the film), receives an instant upgrade: a personally engraved metal card that will allow him to directly access his own private operator, someone who will greet him by name. (See 50 essential travel tips...
Solovy and Dunkleberger say that some things in the movie are accurate. While there is no such thing as the graphite card, the Concierge Key card that the film's other veteran flyer, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), finds in Ryan Bingham's wallet actually does exist. In the film, Goran is impressed in a way that only aficianados can be: "I wasn't sure these actually existed," she says. American Airlines officials, as secretive as Freemasons in a Dan Brown novel, claim not to know much about it, except that one becomes a member by invitation only - because the airline...
Over the years, Stuker has enjoyed many Bingham-esque moments of grandeur, including $500 of free wine one Christmas and, another time, a gourmet dinner at Chicago's Tru for two ("They even let me pick the wine, which they might not do again."). He even had a United-sponsored appearance as a diner on Seinfeld ("I just sat there; they didn't want me to talk"). Last week on his way back from Australia, flight officials boarded his plane in Los Angeles and brought on a birthday cake...
...sometimes forget it's him you're watching (peering into that face, you'd swear it's Kris Kristofferson) and that he's playing a fictional character. When Bridges sings Bad's wistful, weary songs - written by producer T-Bone Burnett and a group of other musicians, including Ryan Bingham, who has a small part in the film - you feel like this is a guy you might be lucky to find at your local honky-tonk. One of the first lyrics we hear from Bad is "I used to be somebody/ Now I am somebody else." Jeff Bridges has made...