Jason Reitman
A filmmaker who captured the ironic, searching spirit of modern America with witty scripts and a keen eye for flawed, charismatic characters.
Born 1977 (age 49)·Canadian and American filmmaker·Birthday: October 19·Generation X
Biography
Jason Reitman arrived in Hollywood with a famous last name but carved out a territory entirely his own. His early films felt like dispatches from a new generation, tackling subjects like tobacco lobbying ('Thank You for Smoking') and teenage pregnancy ('Juno') with a snappy, literate wit that avoided easy judgment. He developed a signature style: crisp dialogue, a great soundtrack, and a fascination with people whose jobs define their moral ambiguity, from George Clooney's corporate downsizer in 'Up in the Air' to Charlize Theron's narcissistic novelist in 'Young Adult.' While he later stepped into franchise filmmaking with 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife,' his core work remains a sharp, often bittersweet comedy of manners about the difficulty of connection in a slick, mediated world.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jason was born in 1977, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jason Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Jason's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for both 'Juno' and 'Up in the Air.'
- He won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for 'Juno.'
- His film 'Up in the Air' won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.
- He founded the production company Right of Way Films, which produced many of his features.
Did You Know?
He dropped out of UCLA to pursue filmmaking and directed his first short film, 'In God We Trust,' while still a student.
He made a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk in his father Ivan Reitman's film 'No Strings Attached.'
He is a collector of vintage typewriters, a hobby reflected in the title sequences of several of his films.
“I'm interested in people who are good at their jobs, even if their jobs are questionable.”
