Hawaiian, Matt King (George Clooney) is chucked into the thick of life when his wife is critically injured in a jet ski accident. Suddenly, Matt is left to look after his two daughters, the tomboyish Scottie (Amara Miller) and rebellious Alex (Shailene Woodley), at the same time as he is trying to unravel the reasons for his wife's newly discovered infidelity and closing the deal on a land trust that will impact his extended family and the island itself.
Phew.
Clooney spends the film muddling his way through with his inimitable charm. He's rougher around the edges here and he doesn't have all the answers, which makes him all the more appealing. Woodley and Miller nail "teenager" like they don't have to act; they are both disarming.
Director, Alexander Payne is no stranger to bite (see Election, Sideways) and The Descendants has his indelible mark. The characters are true but damaged, the surrounding population is a little off centre and the world around everyone is both immovable and capricious.
Payne always manages to find a quirky undercurrent that is both alien and familiar. In Hawaii he strikes gold. The island is the soul of the film; like the characters, it is damaged and evolving. It needs nurturing. The Descendants talks to what it is to be home, where we find our home and what we have to do maintain it. It doesn't offer easy answers and it doesn't make for passive viewing but it is rewarding.
In the end The Descendants is a refreshing drama that is heartbreakingly funny, and the keenest humour comes from its deepest cuts.
Recommended.
★★★
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