Quick Review: Up In The Air

Another excellent George Clooney performance sparks "Up In The Air." Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who is a "corporate downsizer" -- the company he works for lays off workers for bosses who are afraid to do it themselves. In his spare time he's also a motivational speaker, with a pitch about a life free of heavy baggage -- including relationships. Bingham's life is one of constant travel, with little contact with family or friends, and as a result he's piled up a slew of points in frequent-flier miles, hotel rewards cards, etc.

Two things come along that threaten his way of living. He meets a woman (Vera Farmiga) who also does a lot of traveling, and begins seeing her at various stopovers; he becomes intrigued by the idea of making an actual commitment, even to the point of inviting her to his sister's wedding. Meanwhile, his company flirts with the idea of laying off people via videoconference instead of spending so much money sending people around the country. That idea comes from a new hire (Anna Kendrick), and Bingham decides that she should go out on the road with him to see what it's like to fire people in person. (Most of the people fired in the film are not actors, but people who were actually laid off in real life, and are essentially reliving the experience.)

The acting is fine all around, but Clooney is the anchor. He brings humanity to a character who would otherwise come off as unfeeling and unsympathetic. My grade: A.