THE DESCENDANTS - Movie Review

Alexander Payne makes average movies.

And that’s a good thing.

Maybe, more accurately, he makes brilliant movies spun from the webs of average lives. More than any other director, he celebrates the seemingly mundane. A drug addict considering an abortion. A high school election. A retiree going to his daughter’s wedding. A trip to wine country. And now the story of a grieving father trying to hold together a family he himself has been disconnected from for far too long.

None of these are the scenarios from which Hollywood blockbusters are made. None of these concepts scream out to the creatively challenged corporate board members that now run movie studios that they demand to be released. But somehow Payne continues to get them made. Each one better than the last. Plugging away at the mundane. And in the process, creating the miraculous.

How does he do this? Simple, he can write. Not the paint-by-numbers anybody can be a screenwriter kind of typing mostly done in this town. No, Alexander Payne can write. He creates compelling central characters and is able to see them through deceivingly difficult journeys.

And Matt King’s journey is no less trying.

Played with spectacular honesty by the consistently entertaining George Clooney, Matt’s life is thrown into turmoil in the opening minutes. After his thrill seeking wife is badly injured during a speedboat race, he is suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar role. Father. A strange thing to say about the parent of two young girls. But you see, Matt, as he describes himself, is “the back-up parent.” Like many fathers, he brings home the bacon, but leaves the parental heavy lifting to his wife. So when suddenly appointed the main caregiver, Matt has to quickly adjust to the new demands.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to be a good father. He just doesn’t know how. And life is made both easier and incredibly more difficult by his daughters, especially his eldest daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) who is at the age where she’s no longer a child, yet not quite an adult. Capable of carrying responsibility but not yet emotionally prepared to process all that comes with it.
It’s Matt’s relationship with Alexandra that is at the heart of the film. A shaky relationship that is tested by unexpected events that make average lives into compelling entertainment.

Speaking of average lives, it’s worth pointing out that while Alexander Payne’s protagonists would often be considered side characters in most big budget bonanzas, they often find a way of being played by some of the biggest actors in Hollywood. Clooney, Broderick, Witherspoon, and Nicholson aren’t exactly names to sniff at. But perhaps his greatest skill as a director is being able to make these superstars seem somewhat… ordinary. Off screen, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who would think George Clooney could ever have trouble with women. But on screen, you suddenly believe that Matt King could face such a dilemma.

This is due to the major talents of the underrated George Clooney. Yes, he’s famous. Yes, he’s an international superstar. But sometimes I don’t think he gets enough credit for simply being a tremendous actor. Like the stars of the studio system like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, or Clark Gable, Clooney is well aware of his brand. You are always able to get a small glimpse of George behind the veneer or any of his characters. But, like a seasoned character actor, he’s also able to sink so deeply into a role that you believe for a minute that he is that person.
And “that person,” flawed and humane, strong but weak, honest and vulnerable, and yes average, is what makes “The Descendants” such a terrific film.

It’s a story about everyday people doing their best to make it through each day. After all, isn’t that all any of us are trying to do. And perhaps that’s why this film is so affecting and so worth the price of admission.