One of the best of the year.

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2010)

Up In The Air My Rating: 10/10.
Up In The Air is a film that celebrates life, the joys it brings and the happiness that can be achieved at the oddest times from the oddest of events. A rare film that evaluates life from different view points and the struggles it brings. George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham a man, no one with a career, wants to ever meet. His job? He works for a company that hires him out to other companies to fire their employees. No ones dream job except maybe for Ryan Bingham himself. He is on road, so the speak, two hundred and fifty days a year. He enjoys his non-committal life. No strings attached for Mr. Bingham. That is until he encounters a woman, Vera Farmiga, who travels just as much as he and could possibly be the woman of his dreams. He experiences feelings and times with her that he hasn't in quite some time. Along the way he also meets a new employee of his company, Anna Kendrick, who is looking to revolutionize the way his business works.
Anna Kendrick plays Natalie Keener with the elegance of a veteran actress. It is nothing less than a star making performance which steps her out from her Twilight shadow, and shows that she can in fact play the game. Her stern, hard nosed and focused portrayal of Natalie is highlight of the supporting cast. There will be great things in this actresses future provided she makes the right choices.
Vera Farmiga shows through her character, Alex Goran, what a true talent she is as well. She shines in her scenes and has chemistry to die for with Clooney. She is perhaps the most mysterious character of all leaving everything about her to the imagination, and leaving the viewer always wanting more of her. It isn't until the third act that we find out who she truly is and why she lives the same kind of life as Clooney's Bingham.
Which brings us to Ryan Bingham. Clooney's range of emotions and depth is something yet seen in his illustrious career. Make no mistake about it, this is the highlight of his career thus far. His eyes tell the story of a lost man who has no clue how lost he really is. In the end it is his journey we don't want to see end. He is the reason we keep watching and hoping for a running time that never ceases.
Jason Reitman's direction shows his true promise and the maturity he is developing as an artist. He never comes in too close nor does he stray too far back. His lens is always at just the right angle. His visual style is really coming into it's own here. I wait, excitedly, at what his future endeavors hold.
Up In The Air is a film that can not be missed by anyone. A bright star in a wonderful year for film. Everything about it excels with brilliance. The entire supporting cast is spot on and it shows to be one of the best ensembles of the decade. A fitting film in this years Oscar race that deserves every bit of acclaim and all the accolades it is sure to see.