NOTE: This post contains mild spoilers for the film The Descendants.
Matt King (George Clooney) must deal with the aftermath of a tragic boating accident that leaves his wife in a coma. He has two daughters, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller), acting out in their own ways for their own reasons. He also has an extended family that, through inheritance, is entrusted with a large parcel of pristine land on the island of Kauai; seven years remain on the trust, and many of the cousins want to sell the land for development.
Clooney gives a heartfelt performance as a husband grieving his wife before she dies, even as his own life continues and changes. Especially impressive are the scenes in which he expresses his anger to his comatose wife, confronts relatives who knew of her betrayal, and faces the other man. Matt’s relationships with his daughters form the heart of the movie, and his relationship with his father-in-law forces a kind of restraint we’re not accustomed to seeing from Clooney. He deserved the nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; whether he deserves to win is debatable.
Alexander Payne’s direction is sure and observant. Sideways is a better effort, but The Descendants has much to recommend it. Alexandra’s reaction to the news that her mother is not going to come out of coma is one of the most visually stunning and emotionally affecting moments on film this year. If Michel Hazanavicius doesn’t benefit from the talk surrounding The Artist, this could be Payne’s year.
The Descendants uses voiceover narration by Clooney to convey a lot of information to the audience. I usually dislike narration—it usually tells too much, but here it helps the viewer understand some of the more complicated proceedings with the relatives and the land deal, and it also lets us in on Matt’s internal monologue. Clooney handles it well.
The Descendants is also nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay.
Watch the trailer here.
This post was written by LR Simon as part of our ongoing series on the 84th Academy Awards, which air tomorrow night on ABC.
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