Up in the Air (2009) directed by Jason Reitman, written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, starring George Clooney and Vera Farmiga.

Plot: A man who has no qualms about flying is threatened when the company he works for decides to fire people over the internet rather than face to face.

Review: There’s nothing funny I can say about this movie. That’s the problem with good films. And this was one of the best of 2009. This is Reitman’s third film and while his first two, Juno and Thank You for Smoking, were both good, they had problems as well. With this movie it’s like he’s matured. Juno seemed more like a hipster movie and the farcical nature of Smoking hurt the otherwise well crafted film. With this movie, though, he takes a more realistic approach.

This film is satirical and a lot of our current cultural and economic climate can be read into it. I feel like since I just finished watching the movie I shouldn’t even be writing this review yet because a lot of the situations that were presented haven’t settled in my mind, but on I must go in a generalized sort of way.

The acting is great and seeing J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, and Sam Elliot show up, albeit briefly, is a welcome sight. The story’s so poignant and modern that it could very well be an excellent quintessential time capsule for the last part of the first decade of this century (I don’t know what else to call it and I refuse to say ‘the naughties’ or whatever it is people insist on calling it). But the best part of this film is the ending. Not that it’s the best that’s ever been made, but I didn’t see it coming and that’s what makes this film worth seeing. You think you know how it ends and then it catches you by surprise.

Rating: A for forgetting my Hertz Number One Gold Card.