The Descendants

George Clooney stars in this tale of the back-up parent having to become the main parent after his wife suffers a terrible accident and is left in a coma.

Set in Hawaii and jots around the many beautiful islands, it’s not a story of the holiday life in tropical climes.

Matt King (played skillfully and subtly by Gorgeous George(™)) does have it all.  The wife, 2.4 kids, beautiful home on a beautiful island, great job.  Problem is that none of it is perfect.  His wife is in a serious coma after a boating accident and his lax parenting responsibilities are pushed to the fore.  His two daughters are ghastly to him and trouble at every turn.  Potty mouthed and dysfunctional, King has many fights on his hands.

As if all this madness isn’t enough, King discovers that his wife was having an affair before the accident.  In addition to that, King and his large family are descendants of the original Hawaiian tribe and own much of the virgin land on the islands, some of the last virgin lands left.  Managing the sale of these precious lands also his responsibility and the whole island is watching his every move.  Complicated right?

I didn’t know what to expect from this film before I went in but half though it might be a bit of a comedy of errors.  Turns out it was more sensitively handled with Clooney playing a star turn as dysfunctional dad Matt.  We all know Clooney is a great actor, able to switch between serious thespian (Syriana) to comic clown (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) but he really surpasses himself in this film.  Some of his best acting are in the intense and emotional glances, his brain fraught with grief and madness.  I did find myself weeping at some of the sadder parts of the film.  There are obviously some funny moments, but in the sense that life can be funny and not particularly thrown in for laughs.

I absolutely loved the small role by Robert Forster as King’s father in law.  Again, there wasn’t much acting involved, he just seemed natural as the sad yet angry father, missing his only daughter already and blaming his son in law for all her ills.

This is a normal film about normal people and some many not like it, but I thought it was great. Just as much as Sideways.  It definitely deserves the Oscar nominations it received but not sure if it will win any.