Review of The Descendants (2011) by Jason F — 28 May 2013

The Descendants offers a fairly ordinary, relatable story of a family breakdown against an idyllic setting. Though lacking in explosive drama or laugh-out-loud comedy, its restraint keeps it on-course.

The story revolves around Matt King (George Clooney) and his struggle to stay in control during a family crisis. With his wife in a coma following a boating accident and since he is, in his own words, "the back-up parent, the understudy", Matt now has to take over as parent of his innocently, socially awkward younger daughter, Scottie, and his delinquent teenage daughter, Alex.

His troubles don't end there. Matt is also sole trustee of a family trust approaching a crucial decision on an offer for a substantial amount of land the trust holds. Matt tries to remain dignified and collected - a calm centre - while trying to hold his family together when they are surrounded by tragedy and the selfish, conflicted interests of others. But the revelation that his comatose wife has not been faithful to him threatens to destroy any of Matt's pretentions to control and composure.

Everything you need to know about the theme of the film is delivered by Clooney in his opening monologue:

"My friends on the mainland think just because I leave in Hawaii, I live in paradise, like a permanent vacation... Are they insane? Do they think we are immune to life? How can they possibly think our families are less screwed up, our cancers less fatal, our heartache less painful?".

Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) restrains himself to showing this contrast between story and setting. We see the drama unfold, with its effect on the characters, against a backdrop of beaches, tropical forested hills and people who go to work in shorts, sandals and Hawaiian shirts. They probably just call them shirts in Hawaii.

The story is essentially quite ordinary. This is not a tear-jerking story; the tragedy is quite mundane. The plot turns rather than twists and is never shocking. The humour is quite mild. Matt's daughters aren't particularly troubled or difficult compared to what some parents have to deal with. And Matt's refusal to take responsibility for the way his life and marriage has unfolded is typical. But this is the point; by being everyday the story becomes relatable.

Although, maybe not to everyone and perhaps at the expense of entertainment. There is a reason why reality TV is not very real; viewers want spectacle, scandal, divisiveness and bombshells. The Descendants is neither especially dramatic as a drama nor particularly funny as a comedy, but it is debatable whether it could be and still maintain its course. It would not be the same film.

For me the highlights of the film were the performances of Shailene Woodley, as the delinquent daughter Alex, and Nick Krause as her easy-going friend, Sid, who offers the film its comic relief. Clooney's suave roles get more attention than his goofier ones (O Brother, Where Art Thou, The Men Who Stare at Goats) but he is adept at both and it is good to see him in a successful film with a goofier part. I'm not sure I buy him as a family man and father of two girls though.

It is good to see films like this are being made, being shown in major theatres and are successful. We remain hopeful that such success will inform studios that there is a sizeable market for such films. This is a film that produced what it set out to and did so with some success, but without taking risks or offering a complex story. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I won't be getting my own DVD copy.