One of the decade's best movies.

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2010)

George Clooney unlocks himself here as a versatile actor, not afraid of showing his age, and becoming afraid of it. Here we see him as a man who lives life to the fullest, all alone and isolated from his close ones and society, in order to get a seemingly meaningless goal as he drifts along life. His job is to fire people throughout the country and it's VERY personal. On the other hand, we see the people that he fires, full of anger and sorrow. What will they tell their family? How are they gonna survive for tomorrow?
Rather than forcing us to accept the truth, "Up In The Air" shows us both sides without choosing any and allows us to make our own choice. Director Jason Reitman directs this film with a subtle edge that gives the film a sort of steady pace, not frenetic but not too slow either. Add to that a sexually charged performance by Vera Farmiga and a very lively/cute and sensitive performance by Anna Kendrick (hope she gets a better agent after this, she's WAY more talented to be starring in tween-crap like "Twilight"). Add to that some memorable appearances by Jason Bateman, Zach Galifianakis and J. K. Simmons, you've got yourself a near-flawless dramedy.
What makes "Up In The Air" works is how relevant it is to society today. It's hard economic times like these that we understand the characters on the movie, we feel for them, but as the movie points out, life goes on. And the ones who are suffering will be comforted by their families back home. That one point really brought home the movie for me.
Overall rating: 9/10