Like the Oscar−winning "Sideways" (2004), director Alexander Payne's newest film, "The Descendants," is both humorous and more moving than one might expect. The film might not necessarily meet the lofty standards set by its predecessor — it is certainly hampered by mediocre writing, and much of its strength derives from the actors' sound performances — but it's worth a trip to the theater.
The plot centers on Matt King (George Clooney), a successful Honolulu lawyer and heir to a vast tract of virgin land on the island of Kuai. A boating accident leaves his wife in a permanent vegetative state, and the film follows the week after the accident, as Matt struggles to rebuild his relationship with his two daughters: the rebellious, 17−year−old Alexandra (ShaileneWoodley) and 10−year−old Scottie (Amara Miller).
As Matt begins to prepare his family and friends for his wife's impending death, he is thrown for a loop when Alexandra reveals that her mother had been having an affair before the accident. Matt and his daughters, as well as Alexandra's friend Sid (Nick Krause), embark on a journey to find his wife's lover so he may say his final goodbyes. Meanwhile, Matt debates whether to sell his family's ancestral land.
The beginning of the film is arguably its weakest point. The opening is peppered with a heavy voiceover by Matt, in which he introduces the state of his relationship with his family and his dilemma with his family's land trust. This, in conjunction with decidedly unremarkable dialogue, threatens to bench the film altogether in its first 20 minutes.
"The Descendants" manages to recover from its lackluster beginning as it introduces Matt's oldest daughter, Alexandra, and Sid, a surfer bum who functions as a catalyst for comic relief throughout much of the film.
The film's somewhat unexpected and self−effacing humor is one of its stronger points. This lightheartedness allows the characters to become much more accessible and entertaining, and the deliberate and moderate use of humor keeps the inherent seriousness of the plot intact.
Though the writing does not necessarily improve, the actors, especially Woodley and Clooney, still manage to deliver admirable and touching performances.
While both Matt and Alexandra are explored thoroughly as characters, Matt's younger daughter, Scottie, remains largely one−dimensional. Early scenes in the film indicate she is having social issues at school, but this point goes largely untouched throughout the rest of the story. Scottie's exclusion from much of the meaningful dialogue in the film is somewhat excused by Alexandra and Matt's desire to protect her from the truth of her mother's infidelity and approaching death, but as a result, Scottie's character is left in limbo.
The film places great emphasis on its Hawaiian setting, which, like Matt's wife, almost acts as a silent character in itself. In the beginning narration, Matt suggests that outsiders assume Hawaii to be a sort of utopia, whose residents don't have the same problems as those of the outside world. The film then proceeds to contest this assumption. However, it's worth noting that while the islands provide a beautiful backdrop — and fodder for tension between idyllic vistas and Matt's less−than−idyllic family situation — the story of a family struggling with death and coping with change could be equally meaningful in an entirely different setting.
Although the movie struggles in places, it succeeds in being poignant, if somewhat flippant. The relationships between the characters are overall honest, genuine and relatable, and the humor offsets some of the more contrived dialogue. Though it may leave those waiting anxiously for a film comparable with "Sideways" and "Election" (1999) a bit disappointed, "The Descendants" is still worth seeing.
