It takes a special kind of talent, especially these days, to make a hit comedy about firing people, but that’s essentially what Jason Reitman (director of runaway hit “Juno”) has done.

Ryan (George Clooney) is a man who travels around the country, firing people and giving motivational speeches about the joys of life without major baggage. He is convinced that living on the move is the key to happiness. But when Ryan’s boss grounds him and he finds himself drawn involuntarily into in his sister’s wedding plans, he begins to realize that his peripatetic lifestyle might not be as ideal as he thought it was.

This is a thoughtful film, mercifully lacking in Hollywood-style saccharine-sentimentality and delivering reality in places where it easily could have veered into triteness or preachy social commentary. The humor is mixed with a heavy dose of pathos, but Clooney manages to carry the message with a grin.