Up in the Air

By Jeff Niesel

In yet another terrific role, George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate lackey who racks up the frequent flyer miles while traipsing across the country as a hatchet man for bosses who can’t seem to axe their employees. While Ryan doesn’t exactly cherish the gig, he’s good at it and doesn’t let any thing tie him down. His relationship with Alex (Vera Farmiga), another corporate traveler, is nothing serious and he likes meeting up clandestinely in hotel rooms across the country. But when his boss (Jason Bateman) hires a new young consultant (Anna Kendrick) to implement a web-based system that will eliminate Ryan’s need to travel, Ryan begins to rethink his life. He attends his estranged sister’s (Melanie Lynskey) wedding and tells Alex he wants their relationship to be more than casual. Jason Reitman’s (Juno) movie is often too glib, but Clooney is great at showing Ryan’s complexities. He’s at once a loner and a guy in desperate need of companionship, and Clooney - who was deservedly nominated for an Oscar - plays up both aspects.