The Descendants Review

George Clooney and Shailene Woodley on a road trip in The Descendants

 The Descendants

A+

A review by Frederick Cholowski

Alexander Payne seems to know a lot about the American man. He’s depicted lives on the downturn in About Schmidt and Sideways. This time around in the Descendants he takes mega star George Clooney and the beautiful island of Hawaii and does it all over again. What comes of it is a masterpiece about a human under extreme stress. It also blends together the best of both comedy and drama to create a truly compelling film.

Matt King (George Clooney) is going through hard times. His wife is in a coma and is dying from a boat accident, he has to take care of his two daughters who he had never spent much time with (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller), and he also has inherited a large piece of land on the island of which he has to decide, with the pressure of his extended family breathing down his neck, what to do with. On top of all this his eldest daughter Alexandra tells him that his wife had been cheating on him before the accident. Matt, along with his two daughters and Alexandra’s idiotic boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), begin to play amateur detective while driving around Hawaii telling family members of his wife’s condition.

The Descendants has a fantastic plot filled with rich writing and fantastic characters. This could have turned into an average road trip movie with a Hawaiian background. Instead it is a rich and detailed examination of a man’s life on the decent. This has a lot to do with the fantastic script co-written by the director Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash. It always seems to strike the perfect balance of comedy and drama. Another great thing about this film is its pacing. The film takes time to slow down and allow for great character moments while never bogging down the overall pace of the film.

This might be the best role George Clooney has ever had, period. Clooney tones it way down for this film and is subtle and mature. It’s a definite change of pace for and actor whose roles are usually large and flashy. Shailene Woodley also needs serious awards consideration for her role as King’s eldest daughter Alexandra. This is a quiet breakout for the young actress who shows off many sides of her emotional range in this film. The rest of the cast is also really solid, and by none of them really being familiar faces really sink into their characters.

Another large character in this film is Hawaii itself. The location is used quite well with beautiful shots spread out through the film. The best part about this is that Payne never overdoes it. Most of the shots blend in with the main plot itself and he never exploits the location, something that could have been very possible. The score mixes in some traditional Hawaiian with more modern music and is constantly there to bring us into the setting that these characters live in.

The Descendants is easily one of the best films of 2011. Its perfect mix of comedy and drama along with fantastic performances make it a much watch for film lovers. It also engages the brain, and hey any movie that does that in this age of film gets a glowing recommendation from me.