Up in the Air
If you're not out of work yet, you surely know someone who is. So you might be resistant to seeing a movie about a traveling man (George Clooney) whose job is to tell other people they've lost theirs. But he's kind of sympathetic — he has such a friendly, caring manner that his targets often end up thanking him. And it's a romantic comedy, with the Clooney character juggling the attentions of a fellow frequent traveler (Vera Farmiga) and a perky upstart back at company headquarters (Anna Kendrick) who wants to ground him. Cheers to director Jason Reitman, of Juno fame, for tossing a tightrope across the chasm of our national pain, then strolling across with such poise. In streamlining Walter Kirn's novel for the screen, Reitman created a savory dish with a tart undertaste, and Clooney responded to the movie's maturity with the most nuanced performance of his career.