During this glum period of recession, it’s nice to see Jason Reitman lift our spirits with a new George Clooney film, that sees him has a corporate downsizer. Corporate what now? You might say – it means he sacks people for a living. It may not sound that glamorous, but it certainly has its perks.

When companies don’t have the balls to tell their soon-to-be-ex employees that they’ve lost their jobs, they pay Ryan Bingham (Clooney) to do it for them. He turns up, sharply dressed, and effortlessly sells them the concept that this opportunity can only be a good thing, with the kind of conviction that would make Mad Men’s Don Draper beam with pride.

He’s done the deed so many times now that he appears numb to the devastation his words cause. What he lives for is the time in between; travelling from one destination to the next, clocking up as many loyalty points as he can, be it on a plane, hiring a car or staying in a hotel.

He’s not one for relationships, or for settling down any time soon. There is one major goal he’s striving for, and that’s to reach 10 million frequent flier miles; this is a very elite club to join, so much so that you even get a plane named after you.

Life gets even better for him when he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), who turns out to be the female version of himself. They embark on a relationship where they meet purely on the road, in various locations, which satisfies both their loyalty needs.

This relationship is soon threatened when Ryan is called back to HQ by his boss Craig (Jason Bateman), who has been presented with a ground-breaking idea for the company by young and eager exec Natalie (Anna Kendrick); utilising modern technology, she believes that the future of corporate downsizing is in video conferencing. This means that all downsizers can perform their jobs with their offices in HQ, saving them a fortune in travelling expenses.

With so much at stake, Ryan takes Anna with him on the road, and introduces her to not only the many benefits that he has become so accustomed/addicted to, but also the importance of being in the same room when delivering bad news. Their journey together gives them a telling insight into both their lives, as well as reveals their strengths and vulnerabilities that may have previously been well-hidden from the world.

Proving that his last film Juno wasn’t simply a one-hit wonder, Jason Reitman returns with a surprisingly bittersweet tale. Certainly Juno was by no means a LOL-fest, but had a good balance between humour and darker material. Reitman goes further here, often tiptoeing into more melancholic territory.

During the first scene, with Clooney sitting behind a desk, talking in an authoritative tone, it’s almost like seeing ER’s Dr Ross making an unusual, big-screen house call. Despite some similarities (neither character is interested in being the archetypal family man, for instance) Ryan Bingham soon takes off on his own distinctive path.

In all honesty, Bingham isn’t exactly a stretch for Clooney. He’s well-dressed, über-charming, quick-witted and gets on with the gals. Sound like anyone you know? But instead of playing it for laughs – the film could easily have become a stereotypical boy-meets-girl date flick – Clooney takes Bingham to a fairly bleak destination.

Another thing to Clooney’s credit is that he’s prepared to share the screen with two exceptional performances from his leading actresses. Kendrick will be well known to her legion of Twilight fans, but here she gets to truly shine in front of an audience that have lives and don’t wear black seven days a week to try and look cool. She plays Natalie with an appealing kookiness, with a sprinkling of screwball comedy with a serious nod to the work of Katherine Hepburn.

And as far as Farmiga is concerned, this has to be considered as not only her breakthrough role, but also her most defining. She oozes class, sex, whimsy and charisma simultaneously. It virtually guarantees that her career will be on the up from here on in.

Clooney appears to be simply having all a ball, bouncing of off the pair of them. And although it’s always great to see Bateman in something (well, maybe not Couples Retreat, his role here is a minor one, possibly filled as a favour to his Juno director, in an almost but not quite cameo capacity.

Although the film certainly won’t be tagged as this year’s ‘feel good hit’, it has oodles to offer. Reitman cements his position as king of off-beat projects, whilst Clooney proves yet again that he’s pretty good at this acting lark. And remember, if you buy it in Tescos, don’t forget to use your Clubcard.