The Descendants

George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause

Dir. Alexander Payne
Scr. Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

I laughed. I cried. I cringed. I was moved and engaged and, bless him, George was completely dreamy in his misery and grey locks. I expected this film, about a man struggling with life and what it throws at him, to be manipulative and clichéd. But, instead, it was surprising and heartfelt with some lovely performances. Highly recommend.

Matt King (Clooney) is a lawyer and landowner in Hawaii whose life is thrown into turmoil when his wife hits her head in a boating accident. As she lies in a hospital bed in a coma, absentee dad Matt must reconnect with his two daughters and oversee a large sale of ancestral land for which he is trustee. To add insult to injury, he discovers that his wife was cheating on him and about to ask for a divorce. The Descendents is certainly a tragedy, but there is much light relief on offer and a fair amount observational insight into how different people cope with grief.

Often, there are a lot of balls up in the air in this film. Instead of being overwhelmed, director Payne eases his audience through the story. Always compelling, some of the most brilliant scenes are surprising and awkward and hilarious. Humour is used, sometimes abruptly and sometimes discreetly, to brilliant effect. The dialogue is believable and I was pleasantly surprised by the novel and quirky portrayal and development of some of the characters.

Payne has made a habit of putting the male species under the microscope. Sideways, About Schmidt, Election – they all follow flawed, troubled men. King is perhaps more well-rounded than Payne’s other subjects, but his life is certainly turned upside down and inside out. In this role, Clooney is at his finest. Completely deserving of his accolades thus far for this outing, his portrayal of a confused and barely-hanging-in-there father and husband is spot-on. He simply makes you want to reach in and take his hand and let him know everything will be okay, even though you know it probably won’t. The scene in which he finds out about his wife’s infidelity and runs to a friend’s house to find out more is absolutely priceless. Loafers are clearly not the best running shoe. And his emotional and dialogue-free scene with his wife’s doctor is breathtaking.

The other acting on offer is very good indeed. I always shudder slightly when children feature, expecting the worst. But Miller as ten-year-old Scottie is delightful. Krause as comic distraction Sid is excellent and offers one of the most heartfelt moments with Clooney. The absolute star of the supporting cast however is Woodley, playing King’s teenage daughter Alex. She gives a wonderful performance – she’s sassy and mature and steals more than her share of scenes. Another important character is definitely Hawaii itself – decidedly not touristy and eternally wet but nonetheless beautiful and utterly unique.

The Descendants may sound a little movie-of-the-week. But it is a highly nuanced, tough, sweet, insightful, moving and darkly amusing. It’s an honest look at grief and loss which will remain with you for days.

-------------------------

Matt King: Paradise? Paradise can go f**k itself.