"The Descendants" is a film about awakening because someone else fell asleep, trying to reconnect with our family and ourselves in the wake of a terrible loss and how we have to work together to pick up the pieces.
The film follows Matt King (George Clooney), who lives in Hawaii and works as a lawyer in Honolulu. King represents the majority control of 25,000 acres his family owns on the island of Kaua'i - his decision of whether or not to sell the land has become the main talk of the island, but more on that later.
King's wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastle) has gone into a coma shortly before Matt was expected to sell the property to Kaua'i native Don Holitzer. His wife's coma prompts Matt to bring his 17-year-old daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley) home from a private school to help with King's other 10-year-old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller).
King struggles to connect with Alex upon her arrival home, especially as Alex shows disdain for her mother despite her coma. This leads Alex to reveal to her father that Elizabeth had been cheating on him shortly before the boating accident that lead to her coma.
This sets the stage for much of the action in "The Descendants": Matt moves out to try and figure out why his wife would cheat on him and simultaneously tries to make the decision of whether or not to sell his property.
"The Descendants" is a film with a lot of insight into a typical life. The story shows the audience a man in King who has been very smart for much of his life but ultimately lacks an emotional substantiation for his existence. He is disconnected from both of his daughters, and his wife is now comatose, though the fact the she was cheating on him also suggests some disconnect in their relationship.
Now King is faced with the burden of parting with the one thing that still connects him with the island: 25,000 acres of land. King's family acquired the land from natives of Hawaii long ago and, even though it has not always been their land, King's family has been entrusted with taking care of it and thus is put in a position of responsibility.
This mirrors Matt's own reflection of his status as a parent, as he explains, "I'm the back up parent, the understudy." Matt has been an indifferent parent his whole life, and now faced with his wife's condition and actions, is forced to become the responsible parent. As Matt decides what to do with his wife, he has to try and decide what is best for the people of Hawaii.
Director Alexander Payne paints a good picture of the messiness of life and how we are called into action when it is least expected. His film includes some great shots of Hawaii, though with the scenery he is given how could he not.
"The Descendants" is a well-done film with great acting and good directing. It accomplishes all it sets out to do, but by the end of the film it feels unremarkable. I thought George Clooney was great as Matt King, but I felt his character didn't do much that was extraordinary. He undergoes a moment of revelation, but it is a revelation the audience has 20 minutes before him.
There is one scene I remember well from the film that pushes boundaries more than any other. It is one of the few that comes to mind where I felt very moved by the on-screen action. This scene is where Matt talks to his comatose wife near the end of the film as he tries to sort everything out. This is a powerful moment, seeing a man pushed to finally understand all that has happened to him, and it represents why "The Descendants" is a good film.
Notice, however, that I stop short of saying "great." This film is funny, entertaining and moving, but it is these things in very familiar ways. There is nothing remarkable about "The Descendants," but there is a lot to like and a lot to enjoy.
There are times where I wish this film made a push toward something bigger, but for the most part I think "The Descendants" is a well-done film that is very enjoyable.
"The Descendants" receives a 7.5/10.
