It seems to be struggling between populist and satirical impulses. But there are many, many moments it gets right and it's an enjoyable, if minor entry in the year-end movie rush.
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12/04/09
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Up in the Air (2009)
88
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Reviews Counted:97
Fresh:85
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: Led by charismatic performances by its three leads, director Jason Reitman delivers a smart blend of humor and emotion with just enough edge for mainstream audiences.
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: After getting Oscar attention for JUNO, director Jason Reitman turns to this adaptation of Walter Kirn's comic novel. Academy Award-winner George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a businessman on the... [More]
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey
Director: Jason Reitman
Reviews for Up in the Air
Boasting solid performances, this is a movie of the moment, but might be too close to home for some viewers.
12/04/09
Timeliness can be tricky to pull off convincingly in movies. It's tough to capture an era while it's still happening, yet Up in the Air does so brilliantly, with wit and humanity.
12/04/09
Clooney is excellent, incidentally, in a role that must have hit home. "You don't want to get married?" his character is asked, and his reply is the same as Clooney's always is: "Nope."
12/04/09
A lovely Hollywood romance that floats buoyantly along on a sea of sadness.
12/04/09
Hands down, one of the best films of 2009. Anna Kendrick steals the show in Jason Reitman's best film to date.
12/04/09
In its funny, rueful way, Up in the Air touches contemporary American notes few Hollywood movies acknowledge.
12/04/09
Up in the Air is a timeless movie that's utterly of its time -- a movie of humor, heart and mind.
12/04/09
Of every film that came out this year, I didn't see a single one more assured, more confident, more utterly comfortable in its own skin than Up in the Air.
12/04/09
This is a film of the American here and now, rooted in an on-the-go, technologically oriented society facing a crisis only survivable through genuine human connections.
12/04/09
Parental Content Review
12/03/09
Rarely has a film spoken more effectively to something we all wonder at some point in our lives, usually more than once %u2013 where am I going?
12/03/09
A film that is one of the very best of the year and which officially launches Reitman into the top ranks of major American filmmakers.
12/03/09
This is Reitman's third film, and he has proven in each of them to be able to transcend gimmick and make it personal and then further transcend that and make it universal.
12/03/09
Both funny and sad, life-affirming and, as with life, not always fair. Fictional characters though they are, there is such an aching intimacy and resounding spontaneity to them that they seem real. It is bittersweet to have to say good-bye.
12/03/09
Jason Reitman does it again. Although full of product placements, this dark comedy is surprisingly enjoyable, highlighted by Anna Kendrick, who made me laugh out loud.
12/03/09
Jason Reitman's third film has the lifespan of a state-fair churro: tasty at the point of consumption, it congeals soon afterward into its component ingredients of sugar and lard.
12/03/09
The picture is brushed with a fine glaze of slickness, a product sealed in a blister pack. It's like airplane air -- it has a packaged freshness that isn't really fresh at all.
12/03/09
One-word reaction: bravo.
12/03/09
How often can you fault a wonderful comedy for an excess of humanity or plausibility?
12/03/09
Latest News for Up in the Air
December 03, 2009:
Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
The first major awards ceremony, the National Board of Review, has announced their winners of the year. More...
December 03, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
This week at the movies, we've got a fractured family (Everybody's Fine, starring Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore); a sibling rivalry (Brothers, starring Natalie Portman and... More...
December 03, 2009:
Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
It's no secret that director Jason Reitman comes from an established Hollywood pedigree, and while his father, Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghostbusters), is remembered most for his... More...
October 04, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
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