Up in the Air Nabs its First Award

Though Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air has yet to hit theaters, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures deemed it the year’s best on Thursday. The movie centers around a single, middle-aged corporate downsizer, played by George Clooney, who tied with Morgan Freeman of Invictus for the best actor award. Clooney’s costar, Anna Kendrick, earned the best supporting actress honor for her role as a young executive and Reitman and his co-writer Sheldon Turner were also awarded with the best adapted screenplay. While Academy Award nominations will not be announced until February, the board, which is made up of industry professionals, educators, historians, and students is viewed as a leading predictor of the Oscars’ best-film winner. The 2007, 2008, and 2009 top honorees—The Departed, No Country for Old Men, and Slumdog Millionaire respectively—all went on to win the title from the Academy.