When I took some time off last week, I actually went to the movies. For full-time working parents, you know this is a luxury. And with all the critical acclaim, I felt I had to see Up in the Air.

Going in, I didn't really know what the film was about. Just that it came from the director of Juno, which I loved, and that it just might be the best movie of the year. I was surprised to find out that the story centers on people who travel the country laying people off -- for other companies.

Despite the focus on George Clooney's character, I couldn't let go of the vignettes of the people getting laid off. The dialogue around the "layoff as an opportunity" stuck with me too. In the real world, does that actually make people feel better? And I wondered: Any other year, any other time, would the movie hold the weight it does now? How much does the timeliness play into its acclaim? If it were to come out a year from now, would it just seem quirky?

And then I kept thinking about the film's title. It's a great way to sum up the end of 2009: We're not sure when the job market will get better or what is in store for 2010. Whether we've experienced layoffs ourselves or have someone close to us who has, we can only hope that the hardship of 2009 will make way for better things in the New Year. But until we see the concrete proof, we are up in the air.