Clooney fires people for a living, is always flying, gives speeches about dropping all your attachments and being free of troublesome possessions, hobbies, pets, family and friends which only weigh you down and lead to death (he didn’t explain exactly how his way of free living equals happiness or longevity). Doesn’t sound like a winner of a guy, but we’re talking George Clooney here. He cruises by on charisma, intensity and confidence, never looking back or down until he crashes, hard, in love with a fellow traveler. Movie ends beautifully with him rethinking his priorities, gazing at a departure board.

Equally excellent: George’s happily-married affair Vera Farmiga (the only woman in The Departed, the two-timing psychiatrist) and George’s possible successor, super-confident young Anna Kendrick (Rocket Science, Edgar Wright’s next film).

I found nothing wrong with the movie, enjoyed almost as much as Michael Clayton. Katy liked it too, but disagrees with the award talk for George’s performance – said he just plays George Clooney. Some real call-attention-to-themselves cameo appearances by Zach Galifianakis, JK Simmons and Sam Elliott still aren’t as distracting as Clooney’s own cameo in The Thin Red Line, so I give them a pass. I guess none is distracting if you don’t know the actor. Katy misidentified Zach, and I was probably the only drooling Big Lebowski fan in the theater who got excited over Sam.