The Descendants

The Descendants

Get ready for the buzz about this excellent film. Whispers of Oscars can already be heard.
George Clooney is exceptional in his role of Matt King. Matt is a successful lawyer and a very wealthy man. He lives in Hawaii and is a descendant of a long line of wealthy family members.
His wife has a boating accident and is unconscious in the hospital. Matt now has to take over the parenting duties of his two daughters. They are a handful. They are rude and take advantage of Matt who simply doesn’t know how to handle them. Alex, the eldest is brought back from her wealthy private school to help with the younger sister and to visit with her dying mother. We learn that she had been in trouble with drugs and drinking.
Alex is angry with her mother and had argued with her when she had discovered her mother’s affair. Alex tells Matt. He was totally unaware and had promised himself that if his wife got better he was going to make the marriage better.
There is a lot of emotion in the film. I could understand how difficult it would be for a father to suddenly take over the responsibility of caring for two difficult children. He had always been too busy and unavailable.
There is also much humor to balance out the heavy duty ‘stuff’. The grandparents need to be told that Mom is not going to get better and the plugs have to be pulled. This could have been an emotional scene. It actually provided much humor.
The two girls are amazing in their roles. They come to love and respect their Dad and are supportive of him.
The family goes on a vacation to another Hawaiian island in search of Mom’s lover. Matt thinks he needs the opportunity to say goodbye to his wife.
The story line keeps you involved. Some of the plot is a little ‘over the top’ and strains your credibility. I had to remind myself that this is a film and not a documentary.
George Clooney is at his best in this film.
A secondary plot has Matt in control of a large family trust. The land trust is to be sold and he has to work with a large group of cousins. Matt takes the girls to see the site before it is potentially sold. The view is magnificent. I wanted to shout out,” Don’t sell.” I’m sure that is the feeling the director wanted the audience to experience.
Matt certainly has his hands full. He has to accept the news of his philandering wife. He has to come to grips with being the active parent. The land trust poses many problems especially when he learns who the real estate company is who is promoting the sale.
You won’t be bored. Overlook the issues that seem to be ‘over the top.’
I suggest you order your tickets in advance. The next show was already sold out.