The Descendants (2011)

Directed by: Alexander Payne | 115 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patricia Hastie, Grace A. Cruz, Kim Gennaula, Karen Kuioka Hironaga, Carmen Kaichi, Kaui Hart Hemmings, Beau Bridges, Matt Corboy, Matt Esecson, Michael Ontkean, Stanton Johnston Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Tom McTigue

There are plenty of reasons why it’s fun to be George Clooney. Women are at his feet, men would like to trade places with him for a day. In the meantime, he earns tons of money with the most beautiful profession in the world: making film. But that star status also has drawbacks, although you wouldn’t say that at first glance. Clooney is so famous, it’s almost impossible for him to completely immerse himself in his character. You will always see George Clooney as George Clooney no matter how well he plays his part. The movie star is very interested in being taken seriously as an actor. That is why he ignores light-hearted roles such as he often played in the past (in the ‘Oceans’ trilogy, for example) and he goes into business with people like Ethan and Joel Coen (‘Burn after Reading’, 2008), Jason Reitman ( ‘Up in the Air’, 2009) and Anton Corbijn (‘The American’, 2010). His collaboration with Alexander Payne, ‘The Descendants’ (2011) earned Clooney a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. It seems that Clooney is indeed more of an actor than a movie star these days.

We know Payne from strong tragicomedies such as ‘About Schmidt’ (2002) and ‘Sideways’ (2004). Just like in those films, ‘The Descendants’ also stars a middle-aged man who is at a crossroads in his life. They have failed and are given the chance to make something of their lives after all. Matt King (Clooney), however, is not aware of his failure for a moment. He is a successful lawyer and, because he is descended from one of the first white settlers in Hawaii, the main heir to a paradise part of the island of Kauai. Many project developers have provided for the piece of untouched nature and are willing to pay for it. Matt tends to sell the area, as do most of the other heirs (a bunch of cousins). But then there’s a hitch.

Matt’s life is turned upside down when his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has a water skiing accident and falls into a coma. Suddenly, he is given responsibility for his two daughters, 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley). The rebellious teenagers make it immediately clear to him how much he has let his life slip out of his hands. It soon becomes apparent that the workaholic has failed not only as a father but also as a husband, because Elizabeth turns out to have another one for a while. Everyone knew about it except himself. In order to give his feelings a place, he seeks out his wife’s lover. As Elizabeth lies dying, the other heirs mount the pressure on Matt to make a quick decision.

Alexander Payne knows exactly how to navigate between drama and comedy, without falling over the edge. The humor is usually subtle, the drama subdued. In ‘The Descendants’, after a novel by the Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings, he found the right thing to do. Hawaii, with its colorful shirts, languid guitar music and beautiful beaches, certainly forms an atmospheric backdrop for this film, which you could describe as a coming-of-age drama starring a middle-aged man. He can’t always express himself correctly in words, but Clooney’s facial expressions speak volumes. Payne cleverly tones down his movie star aura, giving him something mundane and convincing. Clooney is supported by a fine cast in which the young Shailene Woodley in particular stands out. He shares some of the most compelling scenes in the film with her. Robert Forster, who plays Elizabeth’s father, is also on a roll. Beau Bridges, as Matt’s cousin Hugh, took a close look at his brother Jeff in ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998) and so does young Nick Krause, who plays Alexandra’s friend Sid.

The acting is top notch and the story is well written. Yet ‘The Descendants’ is a step backwards for Alexander Payne compared to ‘About Schmidt’ and ‘Sideways’. The film lacks the sharp edge that made its predecessors so interesting. It’s all just a little too neat, just too much smoothed out. ‘The Descendants’ is therefore a bite-sized chunk for the general film audience and a favorite for all kinds of award ceremonies (five Oscar nominations, including for best picture, best director, best script and best actor). But whether the film will stick around as long as Payne’s neo-classics ‘About Schmidt’ and ‘Sideways’, time will tell.