Up in the Air (2009)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ryan Bingham	George Clooney	½
Alex Goran	Vera Farmiga
Natalie Keener	Anna Kendrick
Craig Gregory	Jason Bateman
Kara Bingham	Amy Morton
Julie Bingham	Melanie Lynskey
Bob	J. K. Simmons
Maynard Finch	Sam Elliott
Jim Miller	Danny McBride

Review

Jason Reitman is good at bringing details into focus, looking at things from a fresh angle, presenting us situations and scenarios which rarely make it to the big screen - probably because they don't seem attractive from a classic Hollywood tradition. Up in the Air probably has more in common with Thank You For Smoking than Juno in terms of themes and tone, as Reitman explores yet another unglamorous part of the American business world, but the way he gets under his characters' skin reveals the same insight and quirkiness as is also apparent in Juno. This time, it is George Clooney's smug and selfish downsizer slash womanizer Ryan Bingham which is given the deconstruction treatment. When he meets his match in Vera Farmiga's character, Clooney is forced to reevaluate his values and way of life, but Reitman has the tactfulness not to deprive him of his pride or charm; Up in the Air presents real people from real environments dealing with real tribulations. The performances are fine, even if Clooney is closing in on reprising himself at this point of his career.