Up in the air

It was noted in a commentary, probably in Salon, that writer-director Jason Reitman had looked daggers at James Cameron for winning Best Film and Best Director, probably at the Golden Globes. The suggestion was that Jason had reckoned he had a good chance of snagging one or both of the awards for his Up In The Air.

There must be more than met the commentator's eye. All Hollywood professionals are undoubtedly self-trained to be "good" losers, to smile at award-givers' slings and arrows, and be seen to "play the game". It would be easier for Jason than for many others in the industry because his father is an industry writer-producer pro.

First clue? The elder Reitman may well think that he was appreciated insufficiently by his peers. Or maybe his son thinks that, reckoning that Daddy's Gremlins did more for the art of cinema than anything created prior to the son's arrival on the sound stages. If so, it's that George Bush syndrome. It cannot be called a "complex", as it's far from that.

Maybe Jason thought Avatar was grossly inferior to Up In The Air? Possibly. Artists, especially Hollywood professionals, are expected to have above-average egos. Cameron does. But it would be unprofessional for Jason to show such disdain?

Can there be any relevance in the fact that the Reitmans and Cameron are Canadians? To lose to an American would have been preferable? To lose to Cameron's American ex-wife (Kathleen Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker) would have been almost a pleasure?

In reality, the Oscar voters have probably done Jason an enormous favour. He'd already gained industry and critical respect, and decent box-office returns, for Juno and Thank You For Smoking. Up In The Air had big buzz in this year's awards races, and he could have jumped far too prematurely to happy conclusions. And then Cameron finished his magnum opus and won almost everybody's accolades, and Jason's wittily cute Up In The Air no longer looked quite so special. We can surmise that Jason is not a happy Canadian bunny.

That means, like any talented super-achiever, he'll go on making better and better films until Hollywood recognises his genetic heritage. Sadly, when it does, Jason will probably still be merely the second most successful Canadian movie auteur of all time. Quelle chagrin, as they probably don't say in Quebec.