Over a month after its DVD release, I finally found time to watch Jason Reitman’s Academy Award Nominated Up in the Air this week.  George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a solitary, anti-commitment businessman whose job of constantly flying around the country to fire people on behalf of cowardly bosses leaves him with very few close relationships and a home only in the sky.

When spunky, fresh-out-of-college Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) joins the firing squad at Ryan’s work, his boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) asks if he can show Natalie the basics of firing strangers with patience and kindness, while at the same time dodging thrown chairs and handling unemployment sobfests.

During his travels, Ryan meets another avid traveler named Alex (Vera Farmiga) who becomes his sexy, multiple-night-stand hook-up while he is on the road.  Natalie sees and likes his relationship with Alex and questions his inability to push for something more serious with her, to which Ryan replies coldly that he does not need a committed relationship to be happy.

As the plot grows, we meet Ryan’s family members at his sister’s wedding, where we are able to piece together snippets of the frigid man’s past – a much warmer nostalgia than we would have imagined.  Other revelations follow to create a somewhat predictable, yet undeniably emotional conclusion.

I really liked this movie, all the way through.  I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I went in to it with a so-so attitude, assuming that it would be just okay.

But it succeeds on multiple levels.  The dynamic between these three characters is interesting, complicated, and deceiving at times, and Anna Kendrick is funny and wonderful.  I truly understand her Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress and I am glad to see that her minor role as Bella’s ditzy friend Jessica in the Twilight Saga films has opened the doors to a long, rewarding acting career.

Up in the Air also features some great and highly appropriate tunes (I love when a soundtrack perfectly fits the film). If you missed this flick, I recommend seeking it out.