The Descendants Review

The Descendants is not meant to be an entertaining movie, nor is its goal to be a pure tearjerker (thought this film has elements of both). Instead, its objective is to reflect a family dealing with a tragedy and the repercussions it causes. Keeping the film’s plot to a minimum, it is about Matt King (George Clooney), a Hawaiian land baron whose wife ends up in a coma via a boating accident. While trying to a close a deal that could get him rich, he tries to take care of his two rambunctious daughters, 17-year old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10-year old Scottie (new comer Amara Miller). In addition, he has to handle estranged family members and also learns the truth that his wife was having an affair.

This movie sounds like a typical family drama along the lines of Robert Redford’s Ordinary People, which also happens to be a movie about a family dealing with tragedy. Even so, The Descendants is nothing like Robert Redford’s film, for its focus is not on a messed up teenager, but on a parent who is clueless about his family life. As Matt King says in his voice-over, “I’m the backup parent…I never took care of my kids, that was my wife’s job.” Now, Matt has to be the parent. As a result, he is both baffled and terrified.

As Matt King, George Clooney delivers a rollercoaster of emotions without going over the top or remaining bland and distant. There are so many great scenes in this movie that show this man’s talent. One that comes to mind is when he learns the news that his wife was going to die. Shock, despair, disbelief, and even a hint of anger develop on his face. He maintains these emotions so well that in this scene that I no longer see the great movie star George Clooney. I see a middle-aged man who’s thrown into a situation that any person can and possibly may have experienced…a tragic loss of a loved one. I consider this to be his greatest performance of all time and the best of 2011.

Though the lead, Clooney is not the only driving force. There is a great supporting cast. Shailene Woodley steals the show as 17-year old Alexandra. She at first comes off as a foulmouthed, belligerent teen, but as the plot progresses, her character grows and matures as she helps her dad in not only keeping the family together, but also assist in trying to find the man who had an affair with her mother. I am very disappointed that she was not nominated for an Oscar in the supporting actress category.

Amara Miller plays a good brat as Scottie, yet she maintains a hint of likeness as a comic relief. This is apparent in a scene where she shouts, “You mother loving whore!” When her father scolds and demands where she learned such language, Scottie merely points at her older sister Alexandra. Nick Krause as Alexandra’s boyfriend, Sid, comes off at first as an ass, but like Alexandra, he matures as the plot progresses and becomes an unlikely ally for the King family. In one pivotal scene, Sid ends up giving Matt parental advice from the experiences his father had shared with him. This is very surprising from someone who laughs at a woman with dementia.

Though slow moving at time, the film’s story never gets dry or uneventful. Director Alexander Payne makes sure of this with his witty screenplay and beautiful composition shots, whether it is the tight close-ups or beautiful landscapes. The music creates a nice undertone and feel for the movie, but I could have done without the Hawaiian vocals. One thing that I wish Alexander Payne put into this movie was the perspective of the comatose wife. I think it would have made this movie even more impactful if there were flashbacks of tension between her and the family, as well as how she was driven into the arms of another man. Since there is no back-story in her character, I feel nothing for her. She’s just a body lying in a hospital bed, as shown vividly in this film. This may have extended the length a bit, but it certainly would have made it a better feature in my opinion. Then again, Alexander Payne’s objective is to focus on those affected by her condition, not her.

The Descendants is one of those movies you’ll want to leave the kids at home and go see. Purely an adult movie, it’ll play with your emotions and may strike home to those of you who have ever lost a loved one. It certainly made me shed tears.