Nearly as good as you've heard

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2009)

VAGUE TONAL SPOILERS AHEAD.... "Up in the Air" is a terrific movie about a man who has gilded his fear of committing to others as a philosophy of remaining unencumbered. Two women in his life challenge him in very different ways, and the way his story plays out is surprisingly realistic and not at all what one usually gets from from films. Well acted, nicely directed (Reitman even lifts the junkie riffs of "Requiem for a Dream" for the main character's pack-one-bag fetish), superbly written. the film sags only in a couple of moments, and -- ironically -- its commitment to supporting characters could have been stronger, but this is still a fine piece of work and leaps and bounds ahead of Reitman's last film. Highly recommended.