Up in the Air - Movie Review

If E. M. Forster implores us to only connect, George Clooney's character in Up in the Air seems perfectly happy not to, thank you very much. Until his very existence - that of a man in constant travel mode - is threatened by technology and a young upstart. He may very well be grounded if he can't prove to his boss the how much better it would be to fire people in person - which is Clooney's job - than it would be by teleconference. And then he meets someone very much like himself, perfectly content to keep others at arm's length, until, seemingly, it will no longer do to remain disconnected.

I've kept things vague enough, I think, to not give much of the plot away though if you've seen the previews you can probably figure out what happens in this very fine film. Clooney gives an easy, confident performance, supported by Vera Farmiga and, in what will surely be a breakout performance, by the tiny and fierce Anna Kendrick. I enjoyed everything about this movie, from the opening credits and music to what may turn out to be one of Hollywood's iconic endings. Definitely one of the best of 2009.