I didn’t know much about “The Descendants” and thought it might be on the touchy-feely side based on the preview. But with Alexander Payne, who did “Sideways” and “About Schmidt,” as the director and screenplay writer, I should have known it wouldn’t be exactly like that. In fact it’s quite refreshing.
As a friend said the movie has Hawaii and Clooney, what’s not to like? Throw in a pretty good story, and it’s an engaging evening out. In it, George Clooney plays a father who’s trying to manage his two daughters after his wife gets into a boating accident. While she’s in a coma, he finds out she’s been having affair, which he begins to investigate. Meanwhile, he’s expected to vote on a huge Hawaiian land deal that’s been held in his family for generations. The pressures of both combine to upend his life and put him back in touch with his kids and former self.
As in “Up in the Air,” Clooney is quite a delight in this, as the earnest dad who’s trying to do the right thing. The footage of Hawaii, too, is wonderful in this flick in which Hawaii plays a key role. If you don’t want to move or go there after watching this, then perhaps you already live in paradise. The Hawaiian music throughout is fun and mood-setting; it definitely harkens you back to the islands. Even big wave surfer Laird Hamilton makes an appearance here, though his character is rather jerky.
It’s an entertaining and touching movie; the daughters, too, who struggle over their mom’s condition are quite good and affecting. Though a slight caution goes out about the movie’s strong, bad language. It’s rated R for a reason, mainly because kids will be kids and along with that can bring some colorful vocabularies.
