Like 'Up in the Air'? Check out director Jason Reitman's other films on DVD

"Up in the Air" director Jason Reitman has made a number of previous films worth watching on DVD. Our recommendations begin with his feature debut, the darkly comic satire "Thank You For Smoking" (2005) starring Aaron Eckhart as a spokesman for the tobacco lobby, who uses his charms and media-manipulation skills to put a positive spin on the dangers of his employer's product. Then of course, there's the critically acclaimed and highly charming "Juno" (2007), starring Ellen Page as a precocious pregnant teenager searching for a couple to adopt her child.

Advance reviews for "Up In The Air" have almost unanimously praised George Clooney's performance as one of his best yet. He's more often than not the best part of any film he's in and it's hard not to recommend his entire filmography (and yes, we'd include "Return of the Killer Tomatoes," though we'd have to bite our tongue when it comes to "Batman and Robin"). We're particularly drawn to "O Brother Where Art Thou?" (2000), his best comic outing with the Coen Brothers; the superb crime/action/romance of "Out of Sight" (1998); and "Michael Clayton" (2007).

In "Clayton," he plays a capable corporate "fixer" drawn into events seemingly over his head. It's a tight, extremely well directed thriller in a realistic '70s vein. Clooney calls all his dramatic chops into play and is given a run for his money by the supporting players, especially Tom Wilkinson's disturbing disillusionment and the desperate villainy of Tilda Swinton, who won an Oscar for her role.

In an interview on Ain't It Cool News, Reitman admitted to creating roles for "Air" co-stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, based on previous performances. For Farmiga, it was "Down To The Bone" (2003), a potent indie drama in which she plays a wife and mother struggling to keep her family and life together despite the temptations of infidelity and her lingering cocaine addiction. For Kendrick, it was her role in "Rocket Science" (2007), a "Rushmore"-style coming-of-age story about a disaffected teen with a chronic stutter who ends up joining his school's debate team. Kendrick plays the fast-talking, manipulative object of his tortured affections.

There's no shortage of movies about characters who are, in one way or another, feeling adrift. Sofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation" (2003) is a fine example of both middle-age and quarter-century malaise and the skill it takes for a director to examine such pain while keeping the tone relatively light. Bill Murray plays an actor filming a commercial in Tokyo who's not in any particular rush to get back to his marriage, his family or his career. Scarlett Johansson plays a 20-something traveling with her on-assignment photographer husband, questioning both their relationship and her direction in life. The two find each other in the hotel bar and end up sharing their doubts and fears and an eventual unique bond as they roam throughout the city.

Part of Clooney's character's dilemma in "Up In The Air" is that technology is slowly encroaching on his job territory. One of our favorite films dealing with this subject is 1957's "Desk Set." Katharine Hepburn stars as the head of a TV research team whose livelihood is threatened when an outside consultant (Spencer Tracy) arrives with a gigantic computer and pink slips for them all. Though obviously dated, the film's quick and witty dialogue volleyed back and forth by Hepburn and Tracy keep it surprisingly fresh.

Much of "Up In The Air" deals with the life of a frequent flier. Some airport-themed and jet-setting films are "Catch Me If You Can" starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a con artist posing as an airline pilot, "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks as an immigrant stuck living in the International concourse at Kennedy, all of the "Airport" movies and the pure comic genius of "Airplane!"

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