Good... but not great

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2010)

Whilst I will agree with many reviewers who say things like "'UP IN THE AIR' is a very well made insightful film that hits all the right notes and every one of those notes ring true." I cannot agree with all of this.
The acting is spectacularly good. Clooney has settled into a rich vein of form where all his more recent roles seem to fit him with the ease of a favourite cardigan. Vera Farmiga delivers a nicely sassy performance. But for me it is Anna Kendrick that makes the movie tick. Her character's rigid shell is systematically excised and Kendrick delivers a finely nuanced performance, that should be worthy of a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
For me though the movie fails to address in sufficient detail the soullessness of the role that Clooney's character portrays and defends. The individual characters' personal battles are well handled. But the fact that there are such corporate 'guns for hire' was itself an angle that went unaddressed. Surely in this climate, this would have added a level of connection for white collar audiences.
At least the pilot termination agents were based in the US. Outsourcing this termination by Skype to India would have been all too much to bear.