Matt King, married to wife Elizabeth and father of two girls, suddenly finds himself as the sole guardian of his daughters after his wife slips into a coma following a freak boating accident. 10-year-old Scottie and 17-year-old Alex are not the idyllic children every parent dreams of. They are rebellious and disrespectful of authority. In the wake of this tragedy, Matt must simultaneously contend with 25,000 acres of unspoiled Hawaiian land. You see he’s the main titleholder, inherited as a descendant of white missionaries and Hawaiian royalty,
George Clooney is used to playing assertive, suave, debonair types. But his character here is none of those things. Granted he’s playing a wealthy lawyer, so we know he’s successful, but in his relationship with his children, he’s rather impotent. He’s exasperated with their casual profanity and lack of courtesy. He’s cast against type, but the unexpected role becomes a highlight of his career. The imperfections are freeing for him because they allow him to be vulnerable. In one memorable scenario, Matt is informed of some particularly distressing news by his oldest daughter – Shailene Woodley in an arresting performance. Brazenly contrasting against the seriousness of the scene, Clooney immediately runs, ridiculously with arms flailing, to his friends’ home to confirm the news. The image is the very opposite of cool.
If Clooney has an equal in the picture, I’d say it is the state of Hawaii itself. The plot has Matt wrestling with the decision of what to do with the expanse of natural wonders that have been entrusted to his care. There is a genuine love for the state of Hawaii here that has nothing to do with stereotypical associations like hula dancing or surfing. The naturally gorgeous, quiet landscape beautifully underscores the various interactions between these people, giving the drama a relaxed vibe that feel like real life. It’s authentic and unpretentious. Featuring a collection of classic Hawaiian ‘slack-key’ music stars on the soundtrack, the largely acoustic guitar score also perfectly supports the film’s melancholy tone.
The Descendants is not a revelatory account. It feels like a made for TV movie concerning a family in crisis, but it’s an extremely well acted, straightforward story. How the plot ultimately ends isn’t really as important as the introspective journey in getting there. There’s no one single revelatory display that will shake you emotionally. It’s the many individual scenes where George Clooney interacts with assorted key people, that will involve you. Director Alexander Payne’s darkly humorous, almost mocking, representation of contemporary American society is perceptible here, but it’s much more traditional here than in his other movies. He’s done better work: Both Election and About Schmidt went to surprising places I didn’t expect the narrative to go. The Descendants is a bit more predictable. That still doesn’t negate the fact that this is a superlative human drama that is steeped in the frequent hardships of everyday existence.
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