Up in the Air

December 23, 2009. Based on the 2001 novel by American author Walter Kirn. Jason Reitman does an adequate job minding the family store (not a Stripes level of performance but then that sets the bar a little too high). I appreciate that the movie takes some unexpected turns, especially in the romance department. It would be easy to have Ryan Bingham (played smartly and convincingly by George Clooney) see the error of his ways and move in with Alex Goran (played by the unfailingly appealing Vera Farmiga) and have a nice happy life ever after. Except when he shows up unexpectedly at her house, he finds her with her nice little family. The contrast between work goals and career expectations versus family is too in your face, especially in the one-dimensional character of Natalie Keener (last seen in TWILIGHT). Clooney’s work is reminiscent of MICHAEL CLAYTON, the angst of man looking back and not liking what he sees. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/