Gee Film Reviews

19th December 2011

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The Descendants - Movie Review

Grade: B

Looking back at the critical success of films such as Ordinary People -  a film that upset Raging Bull about a family’s reaction to their son’s death - and Kramer vs Kramer - a Maryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman acted film about a couple’s divorce - American cinema has undoubtedly been infatuated and touched by contemporary tragedies. Alexander Payne’s follow up to Sideways, The Descendants, continues this trend that connects first-world families to a universal sense of tragedy, displaying that individuals - rich or poor - must deal with adversity and affliction. Payne’s film stays true to its portrait of grief, but the success of the film derives from the fact that the film is able to blend sentimentality, humor, and agony - resulting in a truly an emotional piece that accurately conveys human emotion.

Based on Kaui Hart Hemming’s novel of the same name, Payne’s film takes place in the “luxurious” Hawaii, breaking the stereotype that there is a perfect paradise. George Clooney plays Matt King, a lawyer who on behalf of the other “descendants” in the King tribe, is on the verge of selling his inherited land. Just as King is in the process of executing the deal, his wife Elizabeth is in a boating accident and goes into a coma. Matt King -whose stern behavior and overly ardent work ethic has deemed him the “back-up parent” - then gathers his two daughters Scottie and Alex (Shailene Woodley) to unite the family for Elizabeth’s final days. But when Alex tells Clooney’s character that  his wife had an affair with a man named Bryan Speer (Matthew Lilliard), the film then focuses on Matt’s attempt to confront his wife’s lover. The Descendants then jumps around from this confrontation to the many plot strands it leaves in its trail.

Payne’s film, in which he co-wrote the screenplay, presents an American portrait of tragedy within a backdrop of a simple premise. But the beauty of Payne’s direction is that it takes a simple picture, and crafts an intricate emotional piece of film that can only be described as excellent. While it does achieve a great sense of sentimentality by the end, the film’s consistency does fall flat as its many subplots - the affair, the selling of the land, etc. - blend slowly and are at times distracting. But as the screenplay authors the blithe albeit messy spectrum of emotion, the acting force is what brings together all of its senses of sentimentality. Clooney plays his character with a sense of composure but also withholds a subtle zeal that is unraveled over the course of The Descendants’ run time. Clooney gives definition to the meaning of dynamic character as the film’s highlight is surrounded around his changing character. Overall, he gives a great performance in an otherwise Clooney saturated year (see the self indulgent The Ides of March), and it will be shocking if he loses this awards season. Woodley - who has fame via The Secret of The American Teenager - supports Clooney as the role of the distraught daughter efficiently, but unfortunately the clumsy writing makes the character, in my opinion, too inconsistent emotion-wise.

Payne ends in a light and slow manner, and the result is an overall profound picture of universal tragedy that’s subtle performances define the film’s emotion and overall achievement. The sometimes splotchy writing creates some unnecessary plot strands, but it can be overlooked in the whole scheme of Payne’s work. But overall, set aside the minor flaws, The Descendants is a sentimental accomplishment that boasts the year’s most dynamic performance by George Clooney, and is ultimately a picture that makes us ponder life’s most dreadful moments. Grade: B

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