Paraphrasing George Clooney, it will be pretty shocking if “The Descendants” doesn’t get nominated for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards ceremony. Not only because its a great film, but also the fact that there haven’t been too many worthy of the nomination from this past year. It has everything a good film should have: a great ensemble cast with fantastic performances, comedy, drama, and a beautiful shooting location – Hawaii. Not to mention its the newest film from Alexander Payne (“About Schmidt,” “Sideways”).
Alexander Payne has the distinct skill of showing how people really are in given circumstances with the actors he has, something the most successful director of the 1970’s had – Hal Ashby. In “The Descendants,” it shows that movies don’t always have to be solely dramas or comedies – its as sad as it is funny. Based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Matt King (George Clooney) is given the wake up call of his adult life when his wife is in a boating accident, sending her into a coma. He’s forced to become the father he never was by taking his two daughters Scottie and Alexandra (Amara Miller and Shailene Woodley, respectively) as well as Alexandra’s “friend” Sid (Nick Krause) on a journey of alerting friends and family of the impending death of Elizabeth King (Patricia Hastie). They also search for the man Elizabeth was cheating on Matt with: Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard).
All the while, Matt has a big decision to make: whether or not to sell the giant parcel of land that has been owned by his family for generations – leaving him sole owner. The film offers a show of character development that is satisfying after learning to care for each and every character, no matter how unlikable they are at the onset. The film pulls the viewer in and out of different emotional states of mind that keeps it incredibly interesting as well as heart felt. Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”), Judy Greer (“The Village”), and Beau Bridges also make appearances in the film to round out the ensemble cast.
Another interesting fact about the film is that other than at the beginning of the film, Elizabeth is only seen in her comatose, bed-ridden state. As the film progresses, more and more is learned about her character through the family and friends that she had in her life. The audience is open to form their own opinions of who she was, another strength of the storytelling – which provides believable characters that are worthy of attention from beginning to end.
It has been 7 years since the release of “Sideways,” Alexander Payne has returned with another great film that has been worth the wait. The story is supported by strong performances by everyone involved, and it takes the time to show the beautiful landscapes in Hawaii – taking the audience to a place not everyone has had the chance of visiting.
“The Descendants” is now playing in select theaters.
