Its my most favorite time of the year once again, awards season! And with that, I take on the challenge of seeing as many of the nominated movies as I can before the first major awards show airs. In 2010, that will be the Golden Globes on Sunday January 17th.
Last week I saw "Nine" (which I hated) and today, after much positive feedback from family and friends, I saw "Up in the Air."
Let me begin by acknowledging that any movie starring George Clooney is likely going to be a movie I enjoy. His effortless charm and sexy appeal improve my impression of any role he takes on and that was certainly true with this film.
Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who travels the country flying from city to city, laying off workers from companies that need to downsize. He spends most of his life "up in the air" and he loves it. In fact, he lives for it.
Opposite Clooney are two fantastic actresses, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Farmiga plays Clooney's love interest. She's a kindred spirit; a fellow frequent flyer was no desire to be tied down.
Anna Kendrick, best known for her roles as Jessica in the Twilight saga, plays Clooney's new, younger coworker who is trying to ground him by terminating employees via video chat rather than flying to each company in person.
Clooney's romantic chemistry with Farmiga and his witty banter with Kendrick make for great scenes that are both hysterical and poignant.
Director Jason Reitman (Juno) brings a fresh eye to the film and his funky style doesn't go unnoticed. There are also some fun surprises in the supporting cast - Jason Bateman, Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover).
The film is so fantastic I don't want to give away a single scene, line, or god forbid, the ending! Reward yourself and buy a ticket to this movie. I guarantee you'll come out up in the air.
