BOTTOM LINE: The character relationships and humour make this an entertaining trip, however in the end, the film goes nowhere, particularly with the handling of Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham.

THE GOOD: Jason Reitman is carving a niche for himself as a mid-tier independent film director, generating some quality films, with character interaction being his strong suit. “Up In The Air” is no exception, with the characters and dialogue making an otherwise average story shine that much brighter. George Clooney is excellent as the aloof Ryan Bingham, who is surrounded by people but is also totally alone. He flies all over the country to fire people, spending over 300 days in the air. Things begin to change when upstart psychologist Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) introduces a video-conferencing system which would effectively end air travel for Bingham and his colleagues. Incensed, Bingham takes Keener on the road, and the pair discover a lot of things about life, love and relationships, with Bingham finally realising how alone he is without his travelling. Along the way, Bingham has an affair with another traveller Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), which leads to an unexpected conclusion that Bingham never expected. “Up In The Air” shines in those dialogue sequences between the characters, particularly between Clooney’s aloofness and Kendrick’s youthful exuberance. Vera Farmiga is excellent when she pops in and out of the story as Alex, perfectly mirroring Bingham’s lifestyle, which in the end, comes back to haunt Bingham when he wants to make some changes to his life. With “Up In The Air”, Reitman is back doing what he does best, delivering a witty commentary on various aspects of human relationships.

THE BAD: The film loses direction in the last act, and ultimately goes nowhere. The themes of the film which stress the importance of human interaction and loneliness are not delivered upon as Bingham’s character ends up back where he started in the film’s climax. Did he learn anything? It seems not. Bingham goes through this journey of being a seemingly happy loner to realising how empty his life really is, and then, everything is yanked back and reset. The relationships he was building, with the possible exception of his sisters, go backwards. Bingham ultimately goes back on the road when the video conferencing system is shut down. It is as if there was no point to what we see in this film. In the end, Bingham’s attempt to reach out and connect is all for nothing and he goes back to his normal lifestyle. Perhaps this is a commentary on how real life may pan out, but it is not particularly satisfying as a movie-going experience.