The Descendants is a deeply moving story about a father trying to keep his family together in the midst of a crisis. George Clooney is the film's protagonist, Matt King, and it's one of the smartest and humanistic roles he's ever tackled. He's stuck in various dilemmas, which makes it harder for him to hold his sanity together, but he does. Matt King's wife is in a life-threatening coma, his teenage daughter is acting out, and to complicate matters, he's responsible for resolving a gigantic real estate deal, which Hawaiian locals are following.
The male protagonist in most of Alexander Payne's films are successful from the outside, but a closer look, reveals a yearning for something greater than what they already have. His characters are forced to deal with unfamiliar emotions. In Election (1999), Matthew Broderick, a high school teacher, holds a trifling resentment over one his over-achieving students. In About Schmidt (2002), Jack Nicholson retires from a steady career, only to rediscover his identity. In Sideways (2004), Paul Giamatti struggles to become a serious novelist, rather than teach English for the rest of his life. The male complex in each of these film are diverse, but studied together, we see the unbearable frailty in confident men.
George Clooney is superb. He balances a confident, stern father figure with confusion and vulnerability. I love how Matt King's opening voice-over presents him as a smart, productive and resourceful man, but the moment he realizes his wife's past infidelities, a child-like desperation overwhelms him. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when he's trying to play the calm and concerned parent, having a heart-to-heart with his wild daughter, and by the next scene, he's running down the street as if the cops are after him. Watching Clooney run barefoot is a comic delight. It's a small action, but again, we see how the director brings out the hurt little boy in the leading male.
Besides Clooney, the entire supporting cast soars, including Beau Bridges, Robert Forrester, Mathew Lillard, and newcomer Shailene Woodley, who plays as the troubled teenage daughter, Alexandra King. Woodley's spark, attitude and underlying sadness is up-to-par with Clooney's performance. She's new to the big screen, but this film will boost her career to new heights.
I think it's safe to say that the family crisis involving the mother is sad and tragic. Sure, the audience laughs when Clooney vents his anger on his comatose wife, but the reality of the situation is no laughing matter. Yet, leave it up to a thoughtful script to find humor and pathos in tragedy.
The Descendants is Payne's most structured film. There really aren't scenes that veer off from the emotional core of the story, which is probably why I favor Sideways more. For example, in Sideways, the quartet split screen segment moves us away from the characters and the filmmakers playfully depict the spirit and landscape of the Californian wine country. Similar to Sideways, Payne integrates the Hawaiian backdrop in his latest film. The camera artfully captures the beauty of Hawaii, avoiding the typical post-card-touristy images that audiences are so familiar with. The Descendants is truly a bittersweet occasion; pain, humor and poignancy connect in spontaneous harmony, creating a unique tone. Don't miss this award-winning film.
*** ½ (out of four stars)
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