Don’t get me wrong, I loved Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air”. But Best Picture? I think not.

(Spoiler free! Be at ease!)

Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a Career Transition Counselor who spends his time flying around the country firing people for other companies. His home life is nearly non-existent, and he likes it that way. His apartment is white, plain, and small and his relationships with his family and neighbors are quite strained. He lives his life in the skies, flying from place to place, while lecturing about living light. Things start to change for him when his company hires Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a fresh out of school new co-worker who proposes a change for the company: Ground all the traveling employees, and conduct the firings via webcam. Mix in a fling with another frequent flyer, Alex (Vera Farmiga) and the wedding of his younger sister, and things start to get a little too complicated and unpredictable for Ryan.

George Clooney was great, as he’s always reliable for playing a role that viewers can get lost in. Ryan Bingham was a great character for Clooney to sink his teeth into: complex, mildly eccentric, yet also quite dynamic. Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were quite stunning as well. If both were nominated for Best Supporting Actress, I think Farmiga would take it over Kendrick, but I also haven’t seen all of the other potentials yet. Oh, wait – I saw Precious. Farmiga and Kendrick are both losing (to Mo’Nique!)

Reitman’s light, yet meaningful approach and style does wonders for this film, as it did his other notables – Juno and Thank You For Smoking. As a huge fan of his former work, it’d be great to see him get another nod from the Academy. I definitely recommend this movie! It was funny, dramatic, light, and had a few good plot twists to keep the viewer vested.

But Best Picture…

Nominee – definitely. Winner? Not gonna happen.