UP IN THE AIR

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George Clooney's intentionally ambiguous character Ryan Bingham is a poster boy for America's lack of ethical direction in this thought-provoking satire about the nation's unemployment epidemic.

Unfortunately, this film fails to swing its hammer of simmering revolution hard enough. Smarmy Ryan loves his city-hopping lifestyle — he loves collecting frequent flyer miles — doing paid gigs as a motivational speaker with a cynical message.

He also works as the number-one hatchet man for an outsourcing company that fires employees for big companies.

Wanting neither marriage, kids, nor commitment, Ryan happily slips into a low-key affair with Alex (Vera Farmiga), a flight attendant who shares Ryan's shallow worldview, at least on the surface.

A big snag appears in the form of upstart corporate spitfire Natalie (Anna Kendrick), whose attempt at making Ryan's job obsolete with the use of video conferencing transforms the ambitious-but-callow Natalie into Ryan's personal traveling trainee.

Based on Walter Kirn's novel, the reliably humorous script is co-authored by Sheldon Turner and director Jason Reitman.

After making "Thank You for Smoking" and "Juno," Reitman attacks socio-economic satire with a combination of verité sequences, light slapstick, and earthy sex appeal.

The movie finds its level whenever Reitman's camera depicts the outspoken responses of people being fired from jobs where they've toiled for years.

The film seems to say, "It's okay that we're all losing our jobs, because it will invariably lead us to our own individual bliss." 

Good luck with that. 

Rated R. 98 mins.