Review of The Descendants (2011) by Greg L — 26 Feb 2013

Hawaii, as the voiceover at the beginning of "The Descendants" notes, is a place usually thought of by outsiders a paradise of tropical sunshine and endless good times, a perception that Hollywood has often reinforced.

This of course can't be true, given that Hawaiians aren't there on vacation and have to live their lives just like the rest of us, and director Alexander Payne, who has always had an unrivaled knack for capturing the quotidian triumphs and tragedies of everyday American life and the complex, conflicted feelings that characterize real family relationships, explores the society behind the tourist brochures in a way few previous filmmakers have.

The script is wonderful - complex, humane, and emotionally rich - and the performances, including that of George Clooney in another in his recent string of mid-career melancholic roles, back it up. The pathos is earned, never elicited with cheap heartstring-tugging.

And the moments of levity are all the more enjoyable for the sadness that underlies them. "The Descendants" is as beautiful and bittersweet as one of the haunting Hawaiian melodies that compose the soundtrack, another excellent work from one of America's best contemporary filmmakers.