Music, Style & Culture

The Descendants

A warm and honest family drama with an outstanding George Clooney.

Released in cinemas 27th January 2012.

Probably the most friendly and least acerbic of Alexander Payne's films (following About Schmidt, Election and Sideways), The Descendants is a warm and honest family drama with an outstanding George Clooney in top form.

As Matt King, Clooney gives the sort of performance that reminds us he's more than just a charismatic movie star. Utterly convincing as a man who's let his family slip away, Clooney scales back his innate confidence and charm as an overworked lawyer descended from Hawaiian royalty. His narration serves as handy (if jarring) exposition for the King family's situation. Matt's wife Elizabeth is comatose after a boating accident on their home island of Oahu, and as the "back-up parent" he's now forced to deal with his two daughters - college student Alexandra, and ten-year-old Scottie. In an argument, the root of Alexandra's fractious relationship with her mother is exposed - Elizabeth was having an affair. Meanwhile, Matt is entrusted with the fate of his ancestors' valuable plot of unspoiled land, with important deals concurrent with the tragic events.

Whilst being a very attractive film by default, The Descendants is filmed in a by-the-numbers manner, Payne letting his cast and location do most of the work. Kaui Hart Hemmings' source novel is very much about the essence of being Hawaiian, something, as director and co-writer, Payne painstakingly captures. It's all about the details - the music, the removing of shoes, the resort-wear, the use of Pidgin, the shame of being "haole", the customs and respect; it's not all sunsets and beaches and Clooney's marital problems.

It's a superb adaptation of a refreshing and honest book, helped by spot-on casting. As Alexandra, Shailene Woodley does a subtle and intelligent turn as every parent's worst nightmare - the drug-using teenage beauty. As her little sister Scottie, Amara Miller is a confused and inappropriate bundle of joy. It's a beautifully and sensitively written role for a child, aided by the young cast's chemistry with one another. Nick Krause is a funny and tender treat as Alexandra's doofus friend, an outsider who tags along for the ride and offers surprisingly pithy nuggets of wisdom (when he's not inadvertently offending the entire family).

Its charm is also its weakness, as at the heart of the story is an incredibly distressing situation. The brevity and warped humour make for a refreshing lack of schmaltz, but conversely it gives the film a sense of detachment - the impact of two children losing their mother is never felt; the comatose wife is literally a prop, a plot device. The dramatic weight comes from Matt dragging his family to another island to track down his wife's lover (Matthew Lillard - yes, him from Scream), but the film hangs on the relatable Clooney and his moments of weakness and vulnerability. You will believe Robert Forster's stern father-in-law can think him an unworthy, unexciting husband.

Despite being dramatically slight, The Descendants has a satisfying emotional impact, thanks to the observational humour and committed cast. An understated treat.

Rating: 8/10