Originally wishing to see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus this weekend, I was upset to find out that it has not currently opened here in Pittsburgh. Going over the list of movies my local cineplex was showing, I came across an article about Up in the Air. The article said that it was one of the best films of 2009, and with it coming out during the tail end of said year I was inclined to listen. I took a look at the trailer, and I liked what I saw.

It is a shame I had not known about this movie sooner. The film brings together an incredible cast, including George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Sam Elliot, Danny McBride, Zach Galifianakis, and J. K. Simmons, even if for some particularly minor roles. Most of those actors have worked with director Jason Reitman before, in either Juno, Thank You for Smoking, or both.

Based upon the book of the same title by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air follows Ryan Bingham (Clooney) as he flies from city to city firing people for a living. He very much enjoys his time in the sky, and when he sees that his way of life is threatened by newcomer to the company Natalie Keener (Kendrick) after she comes up with a more cost-effective means of termination, he is tasked with showing her the ropes of how he does what he does, and why it is so important.

Up in the Air is a movie about people, and their interactions and connections with one another. It has it all – sex, love, humor, sadness – and the acting talent to back it all up. You can start to see where the movie may be headed, and you become so invested in these characters that have been created, that when the movie throws you a curveball you feel it as if you were one of them; as if it was you these things happened to. It’s an emotional attachment I haven’t felt in a long time.