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The Descendants was great, just great. It’s a dramedy set in paradise based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings from writer/director Alexander Payne. Payne has brought us films such as Election, About Schmidt and Sideways. But living in paradise doesn’t mean the character’s lives aren’t as f-ed up as the rest of us. This is a story about the compounding problems of Matthew King (George Clooney). Not only is his wife in the hospital after a horrible boating accident, but his family has entrusted him with a multi-million real-estate decision that the whole country of Hawaii is watching. And that’s just the beginning.
From the very first moment I saw George Clooney, I thought of him as this father rather than Clooney himself. This was the best performance I’ve seen from him in quite some time. It’s an interesting thing to see such serious issues and emotions handled in such a relaxed setting. Everybody was wearing flip flops, Hawaiian t-shirts and shorts…it reminded me of home a lot. The director made this film very personal with numerous closeup shots of Clooney just thinking or trailing off in his head. You could really feel the unknowing emotion and confused thoughts that raced through his mind. Coupled with those images were pitch perfect dialogue that he had with himself (narrative monologues) and the people around him. The way Matt King’s character flipped from being around certain people to being alone with himself or his wife was striking.
One of the funniest scenes of the year
Amazingly though, Clooney didn’t give the best performance in this movie, Shailene Woodley who played Matt’s older daughter, Alexandra, did. I was set back and blown away by the raw emotion that she displayed as she clutched her tough girl exterior closely to deal with her own issues in the way her character would. She’s a teenage girl who lashes out and gets into trouble but is still old enough to know what’s right and wrong unlike her younger sister (Amara Miller) that she now has to take care of since their dad has no idea what to do with either of them. The relationships of this family are so stellar making this a great family film for an older, more gritty generation. It’s not PG or even PG-13 but it’s true to itself and will be appreciated by families going through real problems that don’t want things sugar-coated like most movies portray. “You give your children enough to do something, not enough to do nothing.”
George Clooney and Shailene Woodley The Descendants
The Descendants is set in Hawaii and everything about it is Hawaiian. The entire soundtrack was from Hawaiian artists, the clothing was all tropical and the accents and lifestyles were straight from the island. The scenery and sets were all so jaw-dropping but they didn’t shy away from the actual country and stick to the touristy spots. The film actually opens with city life in paradise which most mainlanders don’t see (including an episode of Dog The Bounty Hunter on TV). As the story progresses and takes you to the various islands, you’re left with the natural beauty of the island imprinted in your mind. The movie itself gets more heavy as the story progresses and the various emotional states of people get imprinted in your mind as well. One thing after another, problems keep finding their way to Matt and then nothing is as it seems. The movie offers great lessons in understanding all sides of a story and how people interact with one another differently. It’s curious to see how disparate people react to various life-changing news. Many times it’s disheartening but it feels real and captures a moment in time on film. Very powerful.
The King family...and Sid
While running a bit long and sluggish at times, I really enjoyed The Descendants in the end. It gets so delightful to watch in the 3rd act and then gives you some closure. It’s not a peachy feel-good movie by any standard (as you can suspect from Payne’s previous films) but it does offer up a slice of reality to ponder on. It was another great example of storytelling and a solid movie to sink into. You learn something about very well-developed characters and may learn something about yourself at the same time. Other than the main family, there are other great performances from actors you might not think would fill their character’s roles like Rob Huebel and Matthew Lillard. Judy Greer and Nick Krause also delivered top notch acting. I’d recommend watching this movie if you just want to watch a quality story be told without blase.
Tags: Alexander Payne, Amara Miller, George Clooney, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Rob Huebel, Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
