Up in the Air (R) (2009)

Director/ writer Jason Reitman (Juno) hits the nail on the head with this recession-timely story of corporate downsizing. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a modern-day “hatchet man,” a corporate rep that goes from business to business doing the dirty work of terminating employees.

He is old school in his personal, seemingly compassionate approach to firing that he has developed over many years of delivering bad news. His business travels have yielded hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles, numerous airline perks and considerable status among his high flying peers.  Although his sole purpose is to deliver pink slips, Ryan’s lifestyle has managed to evolve into a comfortable, but lonely, existence of luxury hotels and V.I.P. treatment as he flies back and forth across the country. Unencumbered, he basks in his freedom.

All is well until his job is threatened from two fronts. Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a younger, more efficient and tech-savvy new hire in his office could push him out of his comfortable company position. Her new method of dismissing employees could revolutionize the industry and place Ryan back in the dreaded confines of an office. Threat number two is aimed at his heart as he falls for like-minded business traveler, Alex (Vera Farmiga), who shares his love of travel, romantic spontaneity and freedom of the road.

Will Ryan hit the ten-million frequent flyer mile mark, find true love and manage to stay up in the air, or will he, too, become a victim of  corporate downsizing? 4