The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants is based off the book of the same name written by Kaui Hart Hemmings. At first glance, and as the trailers might have you believe, this movie seems like your run-of-the-mill quirky comedy. It stars George Clooney, is set in Hawaii, and seems to be about him running all over the place while he struggles to be a good father to his daughters. On paper it may sound familiar, but the movie is actually a somber and touching look at a troubled family trying to cope with personal loss and the sudden shift in their surroundings. 

The story takes place some time after Matt King’s wife Elizabeth has been in a boating accident. Her injuries have left her in a coma and as a result, their young daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) is now in Matt’s sole care. While this is happening, he’s trying to manage the extensive land that his family owns (and has owned for generations) which is being priced for sale. The final weight that’s gets thrown onto his shoulders is when his older and more unruly daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley) informs him that before her accident, Elizabeth was having an affair with another man (played by Mathew Lillard). 

The acting really sells this movie and George Clooney gives one of his best and most understated performances as the emotionally distraught and morally confused Matt. His character, despite being in a position of unchallengeable power as sole trustee when it comes to the property his family owns, has little control over the conflicts in his personal life. He had absolutely no idea that his wife was having an affair, his daughters are almost strangers to him, and he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with the land that’s been placed as his responsibility. He struggles to find a balance with all the different aspects of his life, and in the end it’s not easy to say if he’ll ever truly succeed. Some of the other really good performances come from his two daughters, Alex and Scottie. Shailene Woodley is particularly good as his reckless and angry older daughter, who insists on bringing her dopey boyfriend everywhere they go. Together, she and Matt go about finding the man Elizabeth was having an affair with, bonding in the process. Despite his small role, even Matthew Lillard gives a good and almost alarmingly subdued performance, which is honestly something I never thought I’d see.

Family trouble in paradise

Suspending the disbelief that any sane woman would cheat on George Clooney with Matthew Lillard, the story is very good and has a consistent tone. It has its moments of humor, but this is not by any means a comedy. The focus remains on the personal struggles of a family dealing with the loss of someone important, but with mixed feelings. Both Matt and Alex have unresolved issues with Elizabeth, but will never see them reach any kind of closure. To Scottie and the rest of the family, they’re losing someone who’s seemingly without flaws. The personal drama of the family is carefully revealed and director Alexander Payne takes his time establishing the characters. Much as with his previous films, such as Sideways, this is a story about nuanced and complex characters. The entire movie is packed with dissolves and the plot flows along at a slow and relaxed pace, which feels suited to the tropical island setting and Hawaiian musical accompaniment. The cinematography is beautiful and shows off the various Hawaiian Islands and their scenic beauty. Although the setting is repeatedly referred to as a paradise, it serves as a visually strong contrast to the emotional state of the main characters. Every one of them, including those that are only there for comic relief, are dealing with some kind of grief. The one character you understand the least about is Elizabeth. As a mother, she fought with Alex and as a wife, she had an affair. Instead of any kind of view of what she was like, we instead only see her effects on those around her. It makes her importance more implicit; she’s a character that we never get a complete understanding of, and that puts the audience on the same level as Matt and his daughters. 

The Descendants is a touching and emotionally heavy character study of average people dealing with a family crisis. It’s hard not to root for these characters who, despite their imperfections, are trying to move on and come to some kind of terms with loss and betrayal.