Up in the Air

"Up in the Air" is directed by Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking" and "Juno"). It stars George Clooney ("Ocean's Eleven"), Vera Farmiga ("The Departed"), Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman (TV's "Arrested Development" and "Juno"). J.K Simmons and Zach Galifianakis both have small, but very funny parts.

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a man who has no real relationships with anyone. He spends the majority of his life flying to various parts of the country firing people. Since he travels so much, his frequent flyer miles are a pretty big thing for him. His company then makes the decision to fire people via video chats, to save time and money on flights, hotels etc. Jason Bateman plays the boss, Craig Gregory and Anna Kendrick is Natalie Keener, the girl who proposed the idea of firing people via the internet...just a fun fact in case people were wondering and didn't feel like IMDBing the movie. This doesn't sit well with Ryan since it would completely change his lifestyle which currently includes several one night stands with Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga)...since apparently having an elite status with airlines, hotels, etc is a turn on. That's the general idea of the movie...I won't ruin the end for people and stuff...

Well, George Clooney is George Clooney. Honestly, that should be enough said. He is a great actor and people know it and that's why he is the star of so many movies. He is great as the lead actor in "Up in the Air," which really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. George Clooney had great chemistry with the other cast members. That's always a good thing when watching a movie. The chemistry comes across mainly with his female co-stars as they are in most scenes with him. Vera Farmiga is convincing as George Clooney's female counterpart in the world of frequent flying. I haven't seen Anna Kendrick in anything besides this, but she is a very good actress and plays the role of a young woman in the business world, questioning George Clooney's character's lifestyle well. The nature of the movie required that everyone (at least the main cast members) be capable of doing comedy and drama. Everyone comes through on this one. They all are convincing in their characters and were lucky enough to be given a great script to work with. The dialogue flows well and is just smart and funny when it needs to be. The movie is also well-paced and doesn't really drag, except for a little bit when Ryan is at his sister's wedding. When you first watch the movie you may think it's predictable...but ultimately you would be wrong...unless you have the natural ability to sense what is going to happen in a movie.

"Up in the Air" is a lot more than a comedy and a lot more than just a drama. It's a great combination of the two. It's not powerful like "Precious" or "Invictus" or something, but there is just a lot more substance to it then most movies these days. There are some hilarious lines and funny scenes dealing with people's reactions to being fired. The movie also deals with relationships and just things that people deem as important in life. I've got to say I am very impressed by Jason Reitman. He's a young director and makes great movies. This movie is a follow up to "Juno," which I love and think is a great, funny movie. "Up in the Air" however is even better as it has a great cast and is just more mature and intelligently written and executed.

The movie looks great. Lots of scenes out of focus, great reaction shots from people and closeups/unique angles are used at times. And aerial shots, for me anyway are always a good thing...and given the type of movie this is it works out great.

I thought this was a great movie. One of the best of the year and it has gotten several Golden Globe nominations and I hear that it will probably be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Who knows if it will win. They have been a lot of great movies this year...especially recently because of Oscar season. 4 out of 4 stars...People should see it...if you like George Clooney or any member of the cast, Jason Reitman movies, or well made movies in general. Go see a matinee...given the quality of this movie a matinee is a great deal...or you could wait til next year sometime and rent it, but come on, why do that when you can watch it on the big screen during Oscar season?

-Joseph Sbrilli