What is the iRankMovies score for Up in the Air?

Name: Up in the Air
Director: Jason Reitman
Genre: drama, romance
Released: 2009
Duration: 1 h 50 min
Rating: 7.4

Up in the Air has an iRankMovies score of 79.4/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Up in the Air (2009)

The story of a man ready to make a connection.

Release:2009

Runtime:1h 50m

Country:United States

Director:Jason Reitman

Language:English

Genre

DramaRomance

See the best drama movies →

Keywords

SuitcaseBusinessOmahaLas VegasOn The RoadFired From The JobDownsizingCross Country

iRank79

Up in the Air rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.4/10· 358K votes

Rotten Tomatoes90%

Metacritic83%

TMDb6.894/10· 4K votes

With 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.4/10 on IMDb and 83/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Up in the Air

Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman who causes him to rethink his transient life.

Cast of Up in the Air

George Clooney
as Ryan Bingham
Vera Farmiga
as Alex Goran
Anna Kendrick
as Natalie Keener
Sam Elliott
as Maynard Finch
Amy Morton
as Kara Bingham
Jason Bateman
as Craig Gregory
Melanie Lynskey
as Julie Bingham
J.K. Simmons
as Bob
Danny McBride
as Jim Miller
Zach Galifianakis
as Steve
Tamala Jones
as Karen Barnes
Adhir Kalyan
as Fired IT worker

Up in the Air facts

Budget: $25M
Box office: $166.8M

Our take on Up in the Air

Jason Reitman's 2009 drama follows Ryan Bingham, a corporate specialist hired to fire people so their bosses don't have to, who lives almost entirely in planes, airports and hotels. Just as he nears a cherished goal of ten million frequent-flyer miles, a woman he meets on the road makes him question the weightless, unattached life he has so carefully built. Balancing dry humor with quiet melancholy and a thread of romance, it's a character study about connection, work and what we tell ourselves is freedom. Best for viewers who like grown-up, conversation-driven dramas that observe more than they preach, and who appreciate a bittersweet rather than tidy resolution.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Jason Reitman explores modern alienation within corporate-travel subculture
•Lead performance balances cynicism with genuine emotional vulnerability
•Romantic subplot subverts expectations through realistic, unsentimental approach

What the audience disliked

•Financial-crisis backdrop feels somewhat dated within contemporary context
•Bittersweet ending may disappoint viewers seeking traditional emotional catharsis