Los Angeles - Jason Reitman's comic drama Up in the Air was named the year's best film Thursday by the influential National Board of Review, whose list of prominent movies is often seen as kicking off the Hollywood award season. The film also earned a best actor nod for George Clooney who stars as a corporate downsizer eager to amass 1 million frequent flyer miles; best supporting actress for Anna Kendrick; and best adapted
screenplay for Reitman and Sheldon Turner.
Clooney shares the acting award with Morgan Freeman for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in Invictus. The South African drama earned a best director nod for Clint Eastwood.
Carey Mulligan was named best actress for her role as a spirited British schoolgirl in An Education while Woody Harrelson was named best supporting actor for his performance as a soldier charged with notifying families of their loved ones' deaths in The Messenger. Joel and Ethan Coen won the best original screenplay award for A Serious Man.
The ensemble cast award went to the upcoming marital comedy It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, while Disney's Pixar's Up was hailed as best animated film. The Cove, which exposes the abuse of dolphins, was selected as best documentary while Jacques Audiard's A Prophet was chosen as best foreign-language film.
Besides Up in the Air, the NBR named its top ten films of the year as An Education, (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, The Messenger, A Serious Man, Star Trek, Up and Where the Wild Things Are.
