Matt Sayles
His film, Up in the Air, racked up the most Golden Globe nominations yesterday - six in total, including best director. This was news that made Montreal-born Jason Reitman a very happy guy. But while the 32-year-old son of Canadian filmmaker Ivan Reitman was pinching himself, he couldn't stop talking about another honour - the passing of the Olympic torch from father to son as they carry the flame together down Yonge Street tomorrow in Toronto.
"I'm not in bad shape," he said from New York. "I figure if I can't run 300 metres they should take the torch, beat me with it and light me on fire."
As for his reaction to the Golden Globe nomination sweep, Reitman says he and his wife, Michele Lee, were in bed watching television when his movie, lead cast members George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga and, of course, Reitman himself, were nominated. "Every time we went to celebrate one of the nominations, another would come in. The news just got better and better. George and I have been texting. I'm a little exhausted," says Reitman, who has been on a roll in recent years with critically acclaimed films such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno . "Hopefully, there will be a moment when everything finally stops, and I can sit and think about the fact that my entire cast got nominated, and most important, that I could share this with my father [who co-produced]"
As for the reason this film has resonated with audiences, Reitman says: "We're living in a moment when we are as disconnected as we've ever been. In a time when technology makes us think we feel close but it actually separates us. I can't help but feel 10 years from now, we'll look back at Up in the Air, and it will be the exemplary film of 2009 because it highlights our need to connect more."
Gayle MacDonald