Directed by Alexander Payne, The Descendants stars George Clooney as Matt King, a land baron living in Hawaii who is forced to raise his two daughters after his wife slips into a coma following a boating accident. When Matt learns from the doctors that his wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie), is not going to recover from the accident he has to find a way to tell his two daughters; 17- year old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10-year old Scottie (Amara Miller). Alexandra is not close to her parents and lives her life as a rebellious teenager. She gives Matt the biggest shock though when she informs him that her mom had been having an affair with another man. This bit of information leads Matt, his daughters and a friend of Alexandra's, Sid (Nick Krause), to search for answers regarding this mystery man that Elizabeth was seeing. At the same time, Matt is working with a bunch of cousins to close a very profitable land deal from some property he inherited from his family, some of the earliest caucasian descendants of the Hawaiian Islands. All of this will challenge Matt who has not been there for his family in the past, but now finds himself as the primary caregiver for his daughters who he must learn to reconnect with.
I have been a huge fan of George Clooney going back to his early days on "E.R." He is the prototypical "leading man" in these times and he gives what may be his finest performance here. Clooney doesn't play his typical good-looking, suave, ladies man here. He is a 50-year old father who is weighed down with life and a nice head of grey hair to show for it. We can tell he loves his daughters but he has no idea how to talk to them, a problem many parents face these days. Clooney pulls this off with perfection. A lot of the credit for this films success must go to director and screenwriter Alexander Payne, who mixes comedy with a more serious tone in a perfect blend. I found myself laughing during this movie way more than I anticipated, but it comes full circle in some absolutely heartbreaking scenes towards the end of the film. Shailene Woodley has gotten a lot of press as the older daughter, but I want to highlight the work of Amara Miller who plays young Scottie. She represents the innocence of childhood, and when she eventually finds out about her mothers ultimate fate, her reaction is so real and touching. Just a warning, have a tissue handy. Nick Krause who plays Sid is also worth mentioning. He starts out as a typical stoner kid that you want to punch, but as the movie goes on, we realize there is more to Nick than what he shows on the surface. He has a conversation with Matt that provides one of the best moments of the film and it catches you completely off-guard. It's a testament to him and one of the many highlights here. The Descendants is one of the movies that as it's going along, it seems to be okay but not great. But when it's over, and you look at it as a whole and get the entire picture, you realize how wonderful of a film this actually is. I dropped five stars on Moneyball earlier and while I couldn't quite get there with this, I would be pleased if it were to walk away with Best Picture. It's worthy of that honor and I give it my highest recommendation for you to see. It was a pleasure to see.
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