Up in the Air (2009)
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizer - a man who fires people for a living. He spends his life in isolation, traveling from place to place, never making connections, never settling down. He takes pleasure in the little things, such as the mints on the pillows in his hotel rooms. The film examines a man who has nothing and nobody - and what happens when he begins to fall in love with someone just like him (Vera Farmiga). Based on 2001 novel of the same name by Walter Kirn and directed by Jason Reitman (of "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking" fame), "Up in the Air" has been enjoying great critical success: currently it has an 89% "Fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes. I think the film looks intriguing, though I'm not sure how well it will do commercially. The idea of solitude and isolation while surrounded by others is a theme I find very fascinating, but I can't help but think it won't resonate very well with theater-goers. ...