Watch Up in the Air

George Clooney adds Up In The Air to the growing list of notable films anchored by the intelligence of his performance as well as his charismatic movie star presence. Up In The Air, directed by Jason Reitman, was adapted from the novel by of the same title by Walter Kim. The film portrays the life of Ryan Bingham, (Clooney) a traveling man who’s carved out a solitary existence for himself as a constantly on-the-go corporate type who avoids not only commitment, but relationships of any kind, by living the majority of his life literally up in the air. Without strong family ties, a wife, children, or even a regular girlfriend to tie him down, Bingham instead collects flight miles and mini-bar bottles as if they were medals of honor.

Bingham’s specialty is corporate downsizing, an activity he, in Clooney’s portrayal, takes a grim kind of pride in. Bingham is an unrivalled expert at the fine art of releasing corporate employees whose offices are being “restructured.” His well-rehearsed “this hurts us more than it hurts you” kiss-off speech to employees being let loose after years of corporate service is a classic of chillingly remote insincerity. In Clooney’s searing performance, Bingham’s talent for finding just the right words to let go an unwitting employee go is an gift that brings him financial security and a life free of baggage--at the cost of his soul.

Bingham’s carefully constructed, isolated yet ego-driven world is shaken, however, when he’s asked to train a young hire