The Descendants

  Wealthy Hawaiian lawyer Matt King (George Clooney) is dealing with the tragic events of a boating accident that left his wife in a coma.  Having to deal with his two daughters, spunky 10 year old Scotty (Amara Miller) and foul-mouthed, rebellious 17 year old Alex (Shailene Woodley,) is just the start of his issues.  He is also the legal trustee of thousands of acres of land inherited by his family and must face the fact that his relatives want to sell the land to a resort developer thereby making the family very wealthy, much to the dismay of the townspeople.  As if that were not enough, he also finds out that his wife was cheating on him with the local Real Estate agent (Matthew Lillard.)  He decides to take the family from Oahu to Kauai to confront the adulterer.

Do not let the trailer fool you.  This is not a laugh out loud comedy.  Yes there are several comedic moments, especially concerning Alex's seemingly dim-witted friend Sid (Nick Krause) who tags along with the family.  This is a movie dealing with loss, love, and family ties.

At first glance, this is a loving postcard of Hawaii.  The film has many lush shots of the islands, and the score is punctuated with several folk songs of the area.  Also, it is another well-written adaptation by Alexander Payne, the creative genius behind "Election," "Sideways," and "About Schmidt."

Foremost it is a showcase for some wonderful performances.  George Clooney is deservedly nominated for best actor, and it is one of his best performances.  His character runs the gamut of emotions, from rage to confusion to acceptance, and he has several scenes where he does not speak, but you can see all the emotions course through his haggard appearance.  Shailene Woddley was egregiously left out of the best supporting actress race.  She delivers the break-out performance of the film.  Also in smaller roles are Robert Forster as the stern (and mean-spirited) father-in-law who idolizes his hospitalized daughter, and Matthew Lillard in a compete change of pace performance from the guy mostly known as Shaggy from the Scooby-Do movies.

The only fault I had with the movie was a slight lull in the action regarding confronting the Real Estate agent.  It becomes not a matter of IF King will confront the adulterer, but WHEN.

Nominated for Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Picture.

CinaJim's review: Highly Recommended!

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