George Clooney pilots first-class flight with Up in the Air (1)

In Jason Reitman’s sleek dramedy Up in the Air, George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, an American, white-collar angel of death. He travels more than 300 days a year for a “career transition corporation,” meaning he roams the land firing the unwanted workers of big companies. He’s more at ease in the heavens than on earth, luxuriating in deluxe air travel and hotel accommodations. He passes through life like a platinum club phantom, and likes it that way.

Clooney’s Ryan is a charming, sensitive hatchet man who makes platitudes such as “This is just the beginning” sound plausible. He may even believe people will benefit from being laid off. In his spare time, he delivers a motivational speech titled “What’s in Your Back Pack?” that advocates life relieved not merely of unnecessary belongings, but overly demanding relationships.

With his cocky voice-over narration, Ryan could be the seasoned older brother to Aaron Eckhart’s swaggering tobacco lobbyist in Reitman’s film Thank You for Smoking. Clooney adds some world-weariness to his matinee-idol glamour, as if all the frequent-flyer miles are catching up to Ryan and he hasn’t yet realized it.

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(Photos Courtesy Dale Robinette/© 2009 DW Studios/Cold Spring Pictures)