Directed and adapted for the screen by Alexander Payne, The Descendants has a little of the distinctive feel Payne brought to his most successful films (Sideways, About Schmidt) but is still heavily indebted to the book on which it is based.
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster
Rating: (M)
3 stars out of five
Matthew King (George Clooney) is a Honolulu-based lawyer whose family owns valuable real estate on the island of Kaua'i. With the family poised to sell it to a property developer, King's wife Elizabeth suffers a near-fatal accident and lies comatose in a hospital bed.
What ensues is a coming-together of King's family, whereby he confronts harsh truths about his relationship both with his wife and his two daughters. There are a few laughs and some cunning cameos (Robert Forster and Beau Bridges) but for fans of Payne, The Descendants is pretty tame.
Still, that doesn't mean it's not worthy in its own laid-back way. It feels like an indie-flick with a few big-budget splurges.
This is a slice of Hawaii seldom seen on the big screen before. With barely an indigenous Hawaiian in sight, the story is relayed through the "descendants" who can trace their roots back to the pioneering missionaries of the mid-1800s.
Payne is more focused on teasing out the tears rather than the bellyaches. With more lurid Hawaiian shirts than a beach party, he has conjured up something quite odd - a reverential film about Hawaii with barely a hint of sand, surf or sun.
Best thing: Beau Bridges proving that his brother Jeff isn't the only "Dude" in the family.
Worst thing: Waiting for a bout of rib-tickling self-deprecating humour that never arrives.
See it with: A loud shirt and a cocktail.
- Mark Orton
