Ladies and gentleman. We have a winner.

With a flawless George Clooney, a stellar supporting cast, Jason Reitman's expert direction and a story that perfectly captures and forever preserves the country's present economic angst, "Up in the Air" is without a doubt the best movie of the year.

The story, adapted from the 2001 novel by Walter Kirn, follows jet-setter Ryan Bingham (Clooney), whose job requires him to travel coast to coast to fire employees when the bosses don't have the guts to pull the trigger. Bingham, a James Bond of light packing, knows the ins-and-outs of breezing through airport security and loves the 322 days a year he spends away from his barely lived-in Omaha apartment, shooting to accumulate a pinnacle 10 million frequent flyer miles for his own satisfaction.

When he performs his duty, he drops the ax while trying to convince them that greater opportunities and a rebirth lies ahead. The reactions vary, as you'll see from hilarious turns by Zach Galifianakis and J.K. Simmons or the anguish and anger that Reitman captures when he uses non-actors to re-enact their own "you're being let go" scenarios.

This dovetails nicely into Bingham's other job as a motivational speaker, where he dishes out his mantra of disciplined detachment through a backpack metaphor: Most of your life is baggage, so pack light. It's allowed him to fly free, avoiding any sort of friendship or romantic attachment and isolating him from his family.

But Bingham's blissful existence gets turned on its head thanks to a couple of women and an important family event. His boss (a scummy and superb Jason Bateman) is trying out an idea by Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a spitfire Ivy League-grad who would rather fire employees over the Internet to cut costs. Bingham reacts by demanding that Keener join him out on the road to show her the human side that's needed to be the bearer of bad news. In his travels, he finds a kindred spirit in Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a fellow corporate travel-holic. They swap drinks and compare VIP cards from various hotels, airlines and rental car companies in an act of competitive flirtation. The two share an obvious chemistry and the occasional bed at whatever rendezvous spot fits their hectic schedules.

Soon, Bingham finds himself traveling to the unlikely destination of northern Wisconsin when he is asked to attend his younger sister's wedding (Danny McBride shows a lighter touch as a not-so-bright groom with cold feet).

It's hard to recall a movie that juggles the moods of a piercingly funny comedy and the heartbreaking human drama with such subtlety and ease, but "Up in the Air" does just that. It's a testament to when the actors and director clearly share the same pulse.

Unlike the faux-smooth blowhard that was Aaron Eckhart's tobacco lobbyist in another Reitman film, "Thank You For Smoking," Clooney is an unlikely protagonist you'll end up rooting for. He shows Bingham's charisma and unwavering confidence slowly unraveling as he begins to want for the personal connections he's long avoided. Farmiga plays a perfect counterpart, brimming with sex appeal and wit without giving away her character's hand. And Kendrick (who you may know as Bella's perky friend from the "Twilight" films) is absolute dynamite in a character that runs an emotional gambit. They may not all get Oscars, but they all deserve one.

The same goes for Reitman, who has made his most mature and masterful film to date. He makes sure the laughs keep coming, even as the turbulence of the film's topics remains ever-present. He keeps the mood breezy with agile editing and by incorporating a lively score and a "Juno"-esque soundtrack. But even as the film threatens to float along into formula, it sneaks up on you and knocks you sideways in the best and most heart-wrenching ways possible.

Critics have said that "Up in the Air" is a perfect movie for the moment. It's also a film that will surely hold up in any moment. Great films tend to do that.