The Descendants (2011) – Matt King (George Clooney) lived a pretty quiet life most days. An attorney who specializes in real estate he faces a big family decision about a huge tract of prime land in Hawaii that could make them all rich. At the same time his oldest daughter (Shailene Woodley) has become something of a behavior problem. Then his wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie), is seriously injured in a boating accident. Suddenly Matt has to face issues that he has ignored. What he discovers about his life will profoundly upsetting. As he tries to draw his family back together he will discover even more about himself.
This review is a bit of cheat. I did a review of this movie in December of 2012 (“In Flight Movies“). On a trip to Germany I got to see a bunch of movies. This was the only one I liked. I’ve been telling Mrs. Phlipside that she should see it ever since. As with “Crossing Delancey” I was a little concerned that it might not hold up to my memory.
No worries.
This was an intentional change of pace role for Clooney. He normally plays very together, confident characters. Matt King is a quiet man who doesn’t think much beyond the day to day details of his life. So when the wheels start to come off his life, he is completely unprepared to handle it all. Clooney brings a great touch to the transition as Matt begins to “grasp the nettle firmly” (as the old saying goes). He is just lost at the beginning and reacts at a very basic level. When confronted with the final insult to his world view of the life he lives, King just takes off running. There’s nothing left in him mentally. There is only physical reaction. Clooney’s face and awkward gate is perfect at that moment. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
While this is a story about Matt King, Clooney gets some wonderful support from the younger members of the cast. Woodley is marvelous at the older daughter, Alexandra, who will never get the chance to repair her relationship with her mother. Amara Miller does a nice job with the smaller role of little sister Scottie. But real kudos go to Nick Krause as Alex’s friend from school, Sid. When you first meet Sid he looks like the comic relief. Instead the script (based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings) allows Sid to be both funny, charming and profound. In many ways it is Sid that provides the family with the place to put their feet as they try to recover. Special nods to Beau Bridges for his work as Cousin Hugh, Robert Forster as Elizabeth’s father, Scott Thorson and to Patricia Hastie as Elizabeth. She spends the vast majority of the movie unmoving in a hospital bed. We only see her “alive” in a few memory clips.
My family asked me what kind of movie this was. Comedy? Drama? Yes. It is a warm and funny movie that deals with very serious issues in a very serious manner.
It was every bit as good the second time around.
Rating – **** Recommended
Stories Are My Life 
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