The Descendants
Regal, January 7, 2012
Movie #3 for 2012
I got a little bit confused about who directed The Descendants. Because:
a. it has GEORGE CLOONEY in it,
b. it has a similar tone to Up in the Air (and is of the same caliber); and
c. I saw it right after Young Adult
I thought it was directed by Jason Reitman (Young Adult, Up in the Air). But no, it’s an ALEXANDER PAYNE (Sideways) movie, and his best to date.
Elizabeth lies in hospital room, in a coma she will not recover from. She seems to have been the lynchpin (albeit a rotten one) of the King family, and now husband Matt (Clooney) and daughters Scotty and Alex have to figure out how to get along without her, and how to fight with her when she can’t fight back. At the same time, Matt is struggling with selling the last piece of untouched land on a Hawaiian Island to developers - land that has been in his family for hundreds of years - and the legacy and impact he will have on his own children (all pictured).
In black and white, the situation is fairly bleak, but the tone of the film is kept (almost entirely) clear from the saccharine or overwrought with choice moments of lightness and humanity. The direction, writing, performances - the whole film - strikes a balance between emotional and funny, sad and charming. It’s a pretty spectacular movie, even if it wasn’t directed by Jason Reitman.
