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The final piece of the "George Clooney Movie Onslaught: 2009 edition" leaves me anything but "Up in the Air" about everyone's favorite smarmy lead male.

The Players: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman 

The Director: Jason Reitman

The Gist: The world as we know it is coming to an end and it's all being ushered in by a reign of terror led by George Clooney! No, this isn't another post-apocalyptic, zombie/quasi-religious film, "Up in the Air" is the story of Ryan Bingham (Clooney) who is a professional killer....of jobs, that is. His responsibility is to fly around the country handing out pink slips and severance packages, so that the host company doesn't have to do it themselves. The truth of the matter is that for some, the past 18 months have felt like the end of the world: losing jobs, losing homes, losing loved ones. This film captures a blink of that and quite reverently at that.

Criss-crossing the country on jets and staying in hotel after hotel is not just a part of Ryan Bingham's job that must be coped with, it is part of a lifestyle that he celebrates. While some might brag of the hefty frequent flier miles they rack up on business trips, Bingham has taken his quest for miles to obsessive levels: maxing out lunch vouchers to optimize the reward miles, for instance. He does all of this, it seems, with a goal in mind, but you'll have to watch the movie to enjoy that subplot.

Clooney falling just short of peeing on everything to assert his dominance.

Out Source This!

Everything in Clooney's life begins to change with two women. Natlie, played by Kendrick, is an upstart, uptight B-school grad looking to prove herself. Her big idea: cut costs by setting up video terminals to remotely fire people. Instead of sending out "road warriors," the company can simply fire people from the comfort of a cubicle. This will not stand in Clooney's mind. The scene stealing/saving Jason Bateman plays their boss and sets up the inevitable "hit the road together and show her the ropes". There's a bunch of hilarious and poignant scenes between them.

Alex, played by Farmiga, is a road warrior-ette. She's the female Clooney. Life on the road is game to her, Clooney fits perfectly into her plans. There's no chance for him against that. Their "relationship" is one of arranging flights and layovers for a romp in a hotel room. Of course this sets up the also inevitable "maybe I should settle down" moment from Clooney. More hilarious and poignant scenes shared by this pair, as well.

Rom-coms can be well made, thanks to Reitman

Reitman, Rom-coms, and the Rest...

The film starts and ends with actual people who have lost jobs because of the economic crisis, mixed with a few actors that lead us in and out of the fiction. There is desperation in their voices at the beginning of the film and hope at the end. Originally, I struggled with the ending of this movie. You might too, but don't let that stop you from seeing this film. It really is beautiful at times because it is more than a "Rom-Com" (Romantic Comedy). A chiastic story is one that starts and ends on similar notes, but flipped on their heads. That is what you see subtly taking place in the movie. Clooney's character starts out completely focused on his job and almost completely devoid of meaningful human contact, and ends the film focused on his job and yet completely transformed in wanting to help and comfort others through desperate times. I have a hard time with characters that never seem to "learn" from their mistakes, but in this case, seeing the application on the same emotional level as the rest of the film isn't necessary, you know that Bingham is changed forever.

Reitman does a great job with this movie. There are two amazing scenes that were done by hand held camera that literally gave me goose bumps: watch for the wedding/reception and the party at the hotel. Two of my favorite scenes from movies all year. This is more than a Rom-Com; it is a great piece of art and highly enjoyable. I recommend it to all adult viewers.

Catch it, Rent it, Skip it...

January is a typically horrific month for movie watching, so catch this one if you're itching for a big screen experience, otherwise rent it.