This wasn’t what I was expecting.

OK, part of why that’s the case is that I’d never heard this referred to as a “romantic comedy” before, so the sense of peril by the end was very real to me - given that a lot of people tend to die in the Coen brothers’ films, often after a big comedic buildup, that could have been a viable ending.

That said, to have that not be the case was immensely satisfying, and actually feels like a twist given their background. This was a wonderfully clever film with an ending that wasn’t overly-sweet, and George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones act it out of the park.

Clooney in particular is really manic at points in this film and dishevelled in a way I haven’t seen him before. He also ruins a public speaking engagement, so Up In The Air might have been a nod in that respect.

All in all, while I’ve loved most of the Coen films I’ve seen, no film has brought me on an emotional ride like this one. About as unconventional and brilliant as romantic comedies get.