After six-years between the theatrical release of his Best Picture-nominated film Sideways and filming on The Descendants, director Alexander Payne is back and he’s delivered a reflective drama with heart, humor and a lead performance by George Clooney that is assured an Oscar nomination, and that is just the start of the awards kudos it’s likely to enjoy.
The Descendants is a film that almost can’t help but go down easily. Maybe it’s the island setting of Hawaii, the native music or maybe it’s the script by Payne and co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Assuredly it’s a combination of these things and then some, but either way it flows effortlessly from scene to scene. It does this even though it is changing and shifting gears every step of the way as comedy and drama form a natural balance.
Starring as Matt King, George Clooney gives the best dramatic performance, I’ve seen, of his career. He’s natural and down-to-earth and he’s managed to bring the slightest of glimpses of the aloof Clooney we’ve seen in comedies such as Men Who Stare at Goats and Burn After Reading and temper it with the maturity of a real person dealing with some heavy issues.
The story begins with news that Matt’s wife has been hospitalized following a boating accident that has left her in a life-threatening coma. We learn the relationship between he and his wife was deteriorating before this ever happened. He spent too much time at work and she had a problem with alcohol and was a bit of a thrill-seeker. Yet, despite these issues it’s obvious he still cares for her. However, in life, sometimes when it rains it pours.
Matt has two young daughters he will have to begin caring for on his own. 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) is already beginning to act up in school and 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) seems determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps already having to be sent to a boarding school. However, it’s when Matt brings Alexandra home that he learns the reason his wife and eldest daughter were having problems… his wife was cheating on him.
Now, with his two daughters and Alexandra’s dopey boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), Matt is determined to find the man his wife was having an affair with. It’s a tough task considering he doesn’t want to let Scottie, friends or family in on what he’s doing, as he attempts to maintain a straight-face and stoic approach when it comes to his wife’s predicament. With only Alexandra and Sid for sounding boards and Scottie as the potentially corruptible innocent, this group of four takes off on a road tip in search of the man that threatened to break up their already fractured family.
Clooney’s performance in all facets is flawless. In Matt’s attempts to appease others, keep his daughters happy and in occasional moments to himself, Clooney’s emotional range is tested and he simply nails it by not playing it to the hilt. Early on there’s a scene where he’s choking back tears and it’s one of the more touching moments I’ve seen under such circumstances. So often an actor will just break down and the audience is meant to sympathize over tears and heavy sobbing, but what’s even more heart-breaking (at least for me) is a moment where someone tries to maintain face. They don’t want to cry, they want to stand tall against adversity and pain. I could almost feel the lump in Clooney’s throat and it’s something you clue into early and often.
Newcomer Shailene Woodley is also impressive, but in a much different way. Alexandra is a foul-mouthed and fiery young girl, but she isn’t the devil incarnate as you might expect. She’s a real girl dealing with real issues and she isn’t above recognizing the situation her father is in. After all, she’s the one that reveals to him that her mother was having an affair.
Payne works with the material and his actors with a gentle touch. He again calls on Sideways cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (whom I also also praised for his work on Clooney’s The Ides of March), who brings the same soft touch with natural sunlight he brought to Sideways. Only recently did I rewatch Sideways, noticing the way the sunlight was used to offer a warm glow to the California wine country and Papamichael takes a similar approach here along with gorgeous shots of Hawaii, giving the film a unique and comfortable look, while also taking advantage of the lush landscape.
This film, however, is going to play differently for all audiences. Your reaction to the material will determine whether you appreciate it for its filmmaking and performances as I did, or if you connect to it on a higher level and find a personal connection. Whatever you take from it, I find it will be a hard film for anyone to dismiss.
The Descendants didn’t floor me as much as it comforted me while also subtly reaching for my emotions. It deals with some heavy subject matter, but it never wallows in it, primarily because it can’t as Matt must remain strong in the eyes of his daughters. It’s a film made by a filmmaker that knows how to reach an audience emotionally without delving into melodrama. Guided by its characters and their growing appreciation for something bigger than themselves, The Descendants is a family drama with something for everyone.
