The movie has traces of the same sitcom glibness that trivialized Reitman’s “Juno’’ and parts of his “Thank You for Smoking.’’ A film about the unemployed and the man who lays them off should leave you angrier than this one does. The comic paranoia in Kirn’s novel easily lends itself to dark satire. Reitman’s adaptation, with Sheldon Turner, swaps alienation for a champagne fizz.
I could watch Clooney and Farmiga burrito each other all day. I could listen to Alex give Natalie perceptive relationship advice, too. But in the real world, the ordinary people and their low-flying lives, devoid of perquisites, are at odds with the alluring aquariums the movie has made of those airports, planes, hotels, and private boat parties.
