Smart, engaging, witty. Dialogue-intensive, it's sharply written with elements of compassion and empathy with a great dose of reality and human implications, and humor that hit on the right notes.
George Clooney, a suave corporate downsizer, plays that single bachelor, peripatetic lifestyle to the hilt with charm and wit. As he takes to the skies, crisscrosses the country, and lives off of his suitcase, he meets his match, Vera Farmiga's character who's every bit his equal. Non-committal, secretive, alluring, intelligent, successful and sophisticated. The spark is off the charts. Oftentimes it felt more like battle of the sexes. The other supporting character, Anna Kendrick, an astute, impassionate young woman just graduating from college has a certain naivety but is evenly comparable and matches Clooney line by line with ease and sass on the firing line. She delivers even the most cringe-inducing lines with a straight face and so competently. The use of real people and real stories of getting pink-slipped in this economy is a wise move and although hits too close to home. The ending is just right. It doesn't get tidily tied with a big red bow; like most things these days, it is... up in air. DVD: http://tinyurl.com/2f6evu6