Step 1: Go Up in the Air. This is one of those all-encompassing dramedies that makes you laugh, cry, contemplate life, hope for better times, believe in family – but it doesn’t stick with you after it’s over.
Step 2: Air travel is for the birds. But if I was Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), I might feel differently. As a corporate head-chopper, Ryan travels all over the country firing people for other companies – and enjoying all the wonderful perks the air miles affords him, i.e. no lines, first-class upgrades, executive lounges, luxurious hotel rooms etc. When he meets and woos fellow constant traveler Alex (Vera Farmiga), the benefits get even sweeter. But I ask you, is that really a way to live? Of course not, and Ryan soon is getting a healthy dose of reality to what he does. First, he sees his job through the eyes of a new recruit, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who seems like a smart whipper snapper but crumbles when she has to put unemployed faces to the names. Then, he is grounded by an unexpected turn of events, forcing him to re-evaluate his life. It’s OK, though. He figures it all out – sort of.
Step 3: Relish the performances – and the lines they get to say. Writer/director Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner do a cracker jack job throwing out the zingers and heartfelt emotion without an ounce of cliché. And of course who better to give the words their due than the always charming George Clooney. He’s perfect as Ryan – almost too perfect, as if Clooney was just playing another version of himself. This could be another Oscar year for him, but personally, I thought he stretched himself more in Michael Clayton. Farmiga (The Departed), too, is quite fetching and able to handle the dialogue with aplomb. Her love scenes with Clooney are almost as sexy as the ones he 
had with Jennifer Lopez in Out of Sight. Almost. No, the real gem in this scenario is Kendrick, who we all might know as Bella’s BFF in the Twilight series. She really finds her voice in this, turning in a layered performance as the young upstart who isn’t just all business. More than likely, her name is going to show up on the Best Supporting Actress list.
Step 4: Lower your expectations just a little. I wanted more than anything to walk out of Up in the Air thinking, “Yes! This is definitely Best Picture!,” but I should have known better than to do that to myself. When my expectations are too high, I run the risk of being disappointed, even though Up in the Air is a well-crafted movie, full of wonderfully nuanced performances. And there’s no doubt that from Thank You for Smoking to Juno to this, Jason Reitman grows as director and delivers the goods. But ultimately, nothing sticks out in the film to make you say, “Wow, that was really something” — that you could take home with you and think about over the course of the next few days. I guess that’s a true sign of a great movie, not just a good one. Still, Up in the Air should reap the benefits come Oscar time.
Level of difficulty in watching Up in the Air: As easy as gliding through the air in the first-class cabin.