The Descendants (2011)

Director: Alexander Payne
Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller
Time: 115 minutes
Bottom-line: Touching and emotional, with powerful acting 

In Alexander Payne’s family drama, The Descendants, George Clooney pulls off his finest performance yet! The film is about a family’s hardships and how they deal with it, against a Hawaiian backdrop. The film co-stars Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause and Matthew Lillard.

Matthew “Matt” King (Clooney) is a man with a number of problems on his hands at the moment – his wife is in a coma after a boating accident, he is the sole trustee of 25000 acres of land on Kauai island, and the trust expires in seven years due to the rule against perpetuities, so the rest of the family pressurises him to sell off the land for a fortune. His elder daughter, Alexandra (Woodley), is involved with drugs and older boys, while his younger daughter, Scottie (Miller) bullies others at school. On top of all this, Matt finds out that his wife had been cheating on him. With the help of his daughters, Alex’s friend Sid (Krause) and by keeping his own wits about, watch how Matt deals with all his problems, en route to being a better family man.

The story is set in Hawaii probably because it is to show the viewers that Hawaii is not exactly paradise for everyone. As Matt says in the opening lines of the film: “My friends on the mainland think just because I live in Hawaii, I live in paradise. We’re all here just shaking our hips and catching waves. Are they insane? How can they possibly think that our families are any less screwed up than theirs, our cancers less fatal, our heartaches less painful?” The plot focuses mainly on how Matt transforms into a caring family man, from being a business-oriented lawyer, learning from the painful experience of having to take care of his daughters without their mother. He has to overcome his emotional breakdown too when he learns about how his wife cheated on him. Matt learns more about himself and those around him when his wife can no longer move a muscle than he did when they were married.

Clooney as Matt (left), Woodley as
Alexandra (middle) and Miller as Scottie

After being awestruck by Clooney’s performance in Up in the Air, The Descendants was next on my list. This role amazed me even more, and, like I said, it could well be the best performance of Clooney’s career. You have seen him as a suave businessman (Up in the Air), a cunning thief (Ocean's Eleven), and even an attorney (Michael Clayton). Now he plays a family man, and he is so good at it too! Every expression is perfect, the body language is superb, and his lines are rendered with such passion and emotion. Look out for the scene where he confronts his wife’s lover and the final scene where he says the last goodbye to his wife. Another exceptional performance is by Shailene Woodley. The 19-year-old actress shows some really mature acting, filled with authentic expressions, and displaying all the characteristics of a typical teenager. This movie gives her a solid platform to expand her career. Miller, who plays the 10-year-old Scottie, has done quite well too.

The best part of The Descendants is that it shows the story of a normal man, not someone special. That is what makes the story all the more relatable. Watch the film for a touching story about a loving father/husband, and if you are a fan of George Clooney, get ready to experience a performance like you’ve never seen before!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%