Considering his shaky start moving from TV to film (three words- Batman & Robin), George Clooney has persevered to become the king of Hollywood, with two successful directorial efforts and an Oscar to his name. But with a deluge of films coming from Clooney recently, can he still bring us something we haven’t seen before?

Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno), Up In The Air tells the story of Ryan Bingham (Clooney), a man whose job it is to travel the country firing people for companies too afraid to do it themselves. He enjoys his job, particularly the luxuries of travelling, and dreams of reaching the exclusive club of people with over 1 million frequent flyer miles. Both his job and his dream are put into jeopardy when an ambitious young employee at his work (Anna Kendrick) devises a system of firing people via webcam. Ryan convinces his boss to take her on an assignment to show her the importance of the “human touch”, but as he begins to fall for a fellow travelling businesswoman (Vera Farmiga) he begins to wonder whether his perfect life is so perfect after all.

As a director, Reitman’s always seems to understand the randomness of the human condition, how the seemingly oddest existence can fit some people perfectly. Just as Juno dealt with family in a non-Hollywood way, so this deals with the vulnerability of life in a way that will have you doubled over with laughter. The script is superbly written and is full of memorable lines (Ryan on airport queues: “Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left.”). The intricacies of Ryan’s life and the journey he takes (both physically and emotionally) make this a perfect road (or should that be 'air’) movie, but with all the artistic merit of an Oscar-winning drama.

The filmmaking triple threat is completed with a well-placed cast. Clooney is wonderful as Ryan. Not the smooth ‘rom-com George’ we’ve seen in the past, this is him at his most fascinating as a man so utterly convinced he has his life just the way he wants it that he almost refuses to see what he’s missing. The fact that he’s also really funny is a bonus, especially when paired with the delightfully stiff Kendrick (perhaps best known to larger audiences as Jessica from the Twilight films). Farmiga is an unusual but effective love interest- basically her character is the ‘female Ryan’, equally beloved of the detachment of a jet-set lifestyle.

For a film with so many cynical characters in it, it’s truly uplifting and actually rather profound. Clooney drops the Danny Ocean persona and allows a little vulnerability to come through, which actually makes his character all the more likeable. Add in some great support performances and a surprising ending, and you have a feel-good film that you won’t feel at all guilty about liking.

Released January 15 in the UK.