Review: Up in the Air

Jason Reitman is an extraordinary director. He can take things that might seem simple and make them unique. He gets the best performances out of his actors (In his 3 films, 'Thank you for Smoking'. 'Juno' and now 'Up in the Air' all of his leads got Golden Globe noms for example) Speaking of Globes, he made a good point in his exception speech (for best screenplay) he always gets told he writes great female characters. He does, I found myself adoring Anna Kendrick's character in the film, when I went into it with the whole "wow I really hate Twilight" thought.

'Up in the Air' centers around Ryan Bingman (George Clooney) a jet setter that's job is to fire people from companies when there bosses are (as quoted in the film) "too big of pussies to do it themselves". It's not all bad, he helps them figure out their futures. He has a personal goal of getting 1 million frequent flyer miles. He enjoys this lifestyle, he even meets his female equivalent Alex (Vera Farmiga) a sexy fling that he hooks up with when their schedules have them in the same city. His way of life is threatened when a new employee Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) comes up with an idea to save money, and fire people over the Internet. In an attempt to show her the ropes, Natalie shadows Ryan as he flys coast to coast to fire a variety of people.

Being someone that has to travel a lot for work, I loved to see a film where someone else loves flying as much as I do. I've never been a fan of Clooney, but this certainly changed my mind. He was great, as were Farmiga and Kendrick. There were moments where I laughed, and moments where I nearly cried. It was a great film all around, and one I can see myself watching over, and over again.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "You are so pretty! You are exactly how I want to look in 15 years!" - Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick)