Writer: Jim Burke
Alexander Payne
Jim Rash
Starring: George Clooney
Shailene Woodley
Amara Miller
Nick Krause
Judy Greer
Matthew Lillard
Beau Bridges
Robert Forster
Patricia Hastie
Rating: *****
Release Date: 27/01/12
The Descendants is a beautifully moving and genuinely touching film about love, loss and family. I can quite honestly say that no matter how much I tried, I failed to find one flaw in the film, and everything about it is spot on. Director Alexander Payne has done a superb job at combining the things in life, like laughter, sadness and family, and put them all into one amazing film. By adapting the 2009 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Payne and his co-writers Jim Burke and Jim Rash have supplied George Clooney with the perfect script to deliver the finest, truest and most emotionally raw performance of his career. This is the first time I have seen Clooney expose himself so openly, and not only does it work, but it really shows what a brilliant actor he is, an actor that is able to be heartfelt and funny all at the same time, even if the laughs come with a sting.
Matt King (Clooney), is a lazy father and a workaholic, spending most of his time at a Honolulu attorney. He is descended from royal blood; his
great-great-grandmother was a Hawaiian princess who married a banker and passed on a rich slab of real estate. As the
primary trustee of 25,000 acres of Kauai paradise, Matt must decide
to keep the land unspoiled or sell out to developers, purely to please his many cousins, led by the funny and greedy Hugh (Bridges).
To add to this, Matt also has some harrowing personal issues to deal with. A boating accident has left his
neglected wife, Elizabeth (Hastie), in a coma, which means Matt, the back-up parent, has been left in charge of their two daughters,
sassy tween Scottie (Miller), 10, and out of control
Alexandra (Woodley), 17, whose crazy behaviour and actions with boys and drugs have landed her in boarding school. Despite struggling at first, Matt starts to embrace his role as father and things start to go vaguely well, that is when life throws a spanner in the works. First, he's informed that
Elizabeth will never come out of her coma and must decided whether to pull the plug,
and then Alex lets him in on the fact that Elizabeth was cheating on him.
Now, I know this all sounds a bit soap opera, but this is where Payne comes in. He manages to walk the fine line between humour and
heartbreak with skill and ease. The scene in which Alexandra slams her clueless dad with a whole host of domestic betrayals is
devastating. Which brings me onto Shailene Woodley, the only way to describe her is the biggest surprise in the film. I have seen her work on The Secret Life of The American Teenager, and to say that the acting in that show is appalling is an understatement, but in this she is an absolute dream. Which means that with Secret Life, it's just the writing that is god awful. Woodley brings heart, hurt and real gritty teenage emotion to the role, and she deserves all the award nominations and wins she has coming to her. In fact, both of the daughters do a sublime job, Amara Miller does a fantastic job for her first major role, and really knows how to tug on the old heartstrings.
When reading about the film I was expecting a whole host of cliches, especially when Matt takes the
family, including Alexandra's stoner boyfriend, Sid (Krause), off to Kauai to confront his wife's lover, Brian Speer
(Lillard). Side note, Lillard has certainly come along way since Scream, and even further since Scooby Doo, and this just shows off what a terrific actor her truly can be. Luckily the film never becomes cliched, Payne manages to turn the film into a vastly entertaining and perceptive look at what defines family. The supporting cast are just terrific, from Robert Forster, as Matt's stern, intimidating father-in-law, to
Judy Greer, who's three scenes as Brian's cheated-on wife are extremely harrowing and deeply emotional, thanks to her marvellous performance.
The end of the film is when the film really is at it's most emotional, especially when Matt is by his dying wife's bed and Clooney let's go with a few home truths. The very last scene, which seems like a simple credit scene, is actually the most poignant, with a family dealing with grief sitting in silence. Payne's low-key approach
only deepens the film's intimate power. The film is funny, emotional and extremely real, and thanks to superb performances, a moving script, and truly wondrous directing, the film is a triumph that will entertain each and every audience member.
The Descendants - Trailer
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