Though against my mantra, I’m making an effort to catch up on the Oscar bait that has slipped through my regular video reviewing cycle. Am I doing this because the Oscars are this coming Sunday? Yes. Am I ashamed to have my viewing habits dictated by the scheduling of a back-patting party for the 1%? You decide.
Matthew King (George Clooney) has some life changing decisions to make. His family’s land in Hawaii is nearing a date in which if he doesn’t sell it he’ll lose it. While in the course of his deliberation, Matt’s wife is seriously injured in a boating accident. The doctors have determined that her condition won’t improve, and that her will states she is to soon be removed from life support.
The couple has two daughters. Grade school student Scottie (Amara Miller) lives with them. She’s throwing some fits over her mom’s ordeal. To help take care of her Matt enlists the help of his rebellious firstborn Alexandra (Shailene Woodley).
The story behind The Descendants is an onion; there is much to be peeled away. I dare say the TV spots give away one of the revelations. To avoid doing the same, I’ll state that as with stories from life we find that in The Descendants there are consequences for actions that affect more than just the protagonist. The title alone hints at the spider web of small world (island) relationships. As Matt and the kids bounce around Hawaii to inform the family of the decision to pull the plug on mom, they’re always bumping into more descendants. I also appreciate how the actions of the mom have consequences that reach beyond her vegetative state, really pushing her family together while having the equal but opposite reaction felt elsewhere.
Sharing merit with the writing, the performances of Clooney and Woodley elevate The Descendants. George is one quality asset, sure to bring it. He’s as in control of the future of Hawaii as he is beleaguered over raising daughters. I’m urged to bring to mind Brad Pitt’s work in Moneyball, to which I believe Danny Ocean’s right-hand man got the better role. This being my first encounter with Shailene Woodley, I do see a star making performance. She offers up the most emotionally impactful moment on hearing of the truth behind her mom’s condition and gives a convincing daughter/sister attitude. The changes her character goes through are the most far-reaching. Woodley makes the metamorphosis believable.
The directorial efforts by Alexander Payne did not do as much for the film as the screenwriting and performances. It’s an aesthetically dated film littered with static shots of the landscape, impeded early by heavy voice over, and cut to the leisure tempo of Napoleon Dynamite.
Absolutely no one has been as critical of Fox Searchlight as I have. I’m not going to fault The Descendants for being created under a banner of faux-independent cinema. It is however worth pointing out the cheap tactic at work. We all know that a movie starring George Clooney is going to have no trouble finding its way into theatres worldwide, so let’s see the traditional 20th Century Fox banner and give this diamond-in-the-rough search division a real task.
I’m not beyond shedding a tear at the cinema. Heck, I struggled to restrain myself when the stealth bomber in Skyline went down! I did not feel as emotionally invested in The Descendants despite it being an obviously far better movie. Maybe, like the doctors tried to prove, the acceptance of the mother’s death was so long in coming that it wasn’t an issue. I was prepared. Could also be that by the end of it all there was some resentment towards her. What The Descendants has to offer the emotional palette leaves it a far cry from being a new classic. A gem—not a diamond—on the putting green rather than in the rough. ***
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