Do Not Expect Too Much Out of This

Rating: 5/10 (5 January 2010)

I watched this movie because it was cited in all of the major award giving lists as a contender for Best Picture. All its stars, George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, have been nominated for acting awards. Therefore I watched with high expectations. And once again, the hype left me disappointed.
The story is simple enough. And somehow, I think I just saw a variation of this same story recently in "The Messenger." It involves a man Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) with the unpleasant job of firing people from their jobs in different cities around the US. A new upstart colleague Natalie (Anna Kendrick) has come up with the idea of firing people through the internet, instead of in person. So Ryan brings her along with him on his job to let her experience the human drama involved firsthand. Along for the ride is Alex (Vera Farmiga) who is essentially Ryan's kindred spirit in a commitment-less affair. Events unfold that cause Ryan to question the very lifestyle which he had been used to for so many years.
OK, it was fine, mildly entertaining, with some pithy dialogs. But for me, it was just alright. Nothing that special as a whole. George Clooney is good, but I felt he was better in "Michael Clayton" than here. His movie star aura really gets in the way of his role as a lonely person, making it difficult to gain the audience's empathy. Anna and Vera are proficient, but nothing spectacular in their acting.
So, you may want to catch this if you like wordy movies about loneliness, rejection, and emptiness. But do not bring too much high expectations when you do decide to watch, because frankly, I did not really see what the big Best Picture fuss was all about.