19 Great Performances by Women Playing Love Interests

Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (2009), screenshot courtesy of Paramount Pictures

6. Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)

The role: Alex Goran is a businesswoman who bonds with George Clooney’s Ryan Bingham over their mutual obsession with air travel.

Why she’s great: Suave, enigmatic, and just a tad aggressive, Farmiga pairs with Clooney like chardonnay and salmon. The scene where they meet, comparing frequent flyer perks in an airport lounge, is as close as any recent movie has come to recreating the effervescent repartee of old-school romantic comedies, a verbal sparring session that simmers with sensuality (the joke being that, of course, rental cars and hotel memberships aren’t remotely sexy). After breaking out with Debra Granik’s gritty addiction drama Down to the Bone, Farmiga unveils her glamorous side here. At a time when Hollywood prefers its actresses young and energetic, her brand of worldly refinement is a breath of fresh air. In another, better world, she would’ve been a full-blown star.

Standout moment: Farmiga’s best scene isn’t between her and Clooney (he’s present, albeit at the periphery) but between her and Anna Kendrick, whose strait-laced go-getter Natalie Keener has been dumped by her long-time boyfriend via text. The women discuss their views on life and love, Natalie fretting that she’ll never find the right guy while Alex argues the merits of lowering one’s standards. With her crossed legs, twinkling eyes, and faint smile, Farmiga assumes the demeanor of a therapist – candid yet inscrutable, understanding yet judgmental. Only by the end of the movie do you really learn to appreciate her subtlety, the way she blurs the line between discretion and deception. You can’t take your eyes off her.