The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants (2011)

8/10

Starring:
George Clooney
Shailene Woodley
Beau Bridges
Judy Greer

Directed by Alexander Payne

I am a huge fan of drama, and then add some comedy, you have me by the neck. And by that I mean I will sit through anything.

The Descendants is a 2011 film based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. It won two Golden Globe Awards and earned five nominations at the 84th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Clooney. It went home with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Shot in Hawaii, the movie boasts incredible cinematography and acting. A scene where Alex King (Shailene Woodley) sinks below the surface of a pool and screams her lungs out underwater was masterful. And the shot of the land owned by the King family was mind blowing.

The story plays so. Matt King (Clooney) is a rich lawyer who decides not to leech on the fortune left to him by his parents, but saves it and works hard to take care of his family.

His wife has a boat accident that leaves her comatose. Matt, who hasn’t been the world’s greatest husband, is left to wonder what to do now with his two kids.

He takes the rebellious Alex from school, hoping she will help tend to the little one, but that wasn’t going too well. As he was trying to balance his new life, and finally accepting what is happening to him, a single father with no idea of what he is doing, he finds out that his wife had been having an affair.

The information rocks Matt hard as he tries to decipher whether to confront the man who has been sleeping with his wife or just let it slide.

That hard decision is most of what this movie is about.

If you're not in the mood for a mellow movie or not a fan of the drama genre, don’t think this isn’t for you, because it is.

And if you dare risk it, I guarantee that the movie has the needed touches to make you feel you got your money’s worth.

I have to add, there are times the pacing of the movie deeps to a crawl, which can be annoying. Plus, some of the plot points are predictable and lastly, another issue I had with the movie is that other than the family, everyone else had little to no background.

Clooney’s performance is one that gets a real nod for classic. Alexander Payne (director), who also worked on the screenplay, did a wonderful adaptation of the book. Payne found a way to pull all the Clooney charisma out, and then balanced it with a mix of tragedy, betrayal, and comic.

For comic relief, we have Sid (Nick Krause) to thank, as he tags along with the King family all through the movie, giving a wonderful performance expected of a side character.

This is a nice movie, that I can comfortably recommend that you go see.