Up In The Air

When I grow up, I want to be George Clooney. Even when he's miserable, going gray and possibly wearing dentures, women think he is a sexy beast.

George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham - a road warrior who revels in traveling. While his job is not one most of us would want to do (he is hired by companies to lay off employees because the company leaders are too wimpy to do it themselves), Ryan loves collecting miles, staying in hotels, hitting up the exclusive airport clubs and more. However, all of that is about to change.

Ryan's boss, Craig (Jason Bateman), is enamored with a plan proposed by the new kid in the company, Natalie (Anna Kendrick). To save money, she wants to bring all of their traveling employees back to Omaha, where they can complete the task via internet.

Of course, Ryan is outraged. Not only does he find it extremely impersonal, the new plan jeopardizes his chance to reach the magical goal of 10,000,000 miles, and takes him away from Alex (Vera Farmiga), who keeps showing up in each town he visits.

To show the ambitious youngster how people deserve a personal touch when getting fired, Ryan convinces Natalie to join him on the road, and the two might be surprised what they will learn along the way.

Will Natalie be won over to Ryan's position?

Is Alex the one who will convince Ryan he wants more from life?

Can he hit the 10,000,000 mile goal?

I am sure you don't want to spend two hours watching people getting fired, but, if you get past that, Up In The Air is the best movie of the year. It's not a big, bombastic movie with explosive moments, but writer/director Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner keep building the drama and emotion as each scene progresses, right up to the moment that makes the audience gasp, and shows you Clooney has more depth in his pinkie finger than the entire cast of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel has in their entire bodies.

Clooney is an undeniable movie star, but this film reminds you that he is an actor. He makes Ryan the most charming man in the room when he's in his element, making the sale, and wheeling and dealing to get to his 10,000,000 mile goal, and Reitman and Turner give him amazing dialogue as Ryan shows he is an encyclopedia about travel and the perks he receives along the way. You see the salesman at work as he carries out the firings, tries to convince Natalie her plan won't work or flirts endlessly with Alex.

Then, Clooney shows you Ryan's flip side as his life starts to change, he confronts issues he has been avoiding for years, and devastation is just around the corner. Everyone in the audience will want to give the big guy a hug when he needs it most because Clooney, no matter how suave, makes Ryan more human than most of the people in your life.

Clooney is an Oscar winner, so we shouldn't be amazed he is able to deliver this performance, but I was shocked at Kendrick's ability to keep up with him. Best known as gossipy Jessica in The Twilight Saga, Kendrick takes what could have been the most annoying character in the film and makes her a revelation.

She peels away the layers to show how Natalie has more going on in her head and her life than being some Type-A Know-It-All. We see her grow the character to someone who realizes life is more complicated than she originally thought. Instead of being whiny, she comes off as sympathetic

It has an awesome opening, an awesome middle, an awesome climax, and an awesome ending. Up In the Air is awesome.

Up In The Air is rated R for language and some sexual content.