The Descendants is a film directed by Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Election and Sideways) and it stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer. The film revolves a man trying to connect with his two daughters after their mother is injured in an accident.
The Descendants is the kind of film that can break your heart the longer you watch it. George Clooney, as the father of two daughters, is perfectly imperfect. Clooney plays Matt King, a man who is not only broken hearted by his wife’s condition but also frustrated by having to parent both of his daughters by himself. I loved the way Clooney’s frustrations played out from one scene to the next. Alexander played with depth by having Shailene Woodley curse a lot and showing anger towards her mother and father. She has a scene in the beginning where she learns how severe her mother’s injuries have gotten and her reaction to the news is not only jarring, but also painfully realistic. Amara Miller, who plays Scottie, has some of the film’s few laughs from her feeble attempts to emulate her older sister Alexandra.
The place I believe The Descendants succeeds the most is with its characters, which are honest about their emotions. The raw emotion that these characters feel gives the film its heart. Matt King is honest with his wife about problems in their marriage. Alexandra is honest with her dad about how she personally feels about her mom and how the accident that caused her mom’s hospitalization has affected her. Every actor plays their part in this film with honesty and a deep respect for the material they have been given. The natural performances from the cast give the film a lot of heart.
My main problem with this film is its continuous usage of foul language. All of the characters are natural and relatable, but seem to believe that the only way to release the anger they feel is to curse. This was a major turn off for me in such a powerful film. In some cases, the amount of cursing hindered the strength of the story for me.
This film is ultimately about a broken family supporting each other during a very intense and difficult crisis. Films like this exist to teach us how much we should value and appreciate our own families. I don’t think Alexander Payne was trying to show the audience how a broken family heals after a tragedy; I believe he wanted to show us that when you lose everything, family will remind you where home is. Home is in the heart, where love and family lives.
4 stars
The Descendants is now playing at the Art Theater.