The Descendants - Movie Review

It is hard to imagine the descendants of King Kamehameha looking like a bunch of haoles, but that is the premise that The Descendants is based upon. The film is based on a book written by Kaui Hart Hemmings, set on the busy but lush island of Oahu. As a former resident of Oahu (four years), it was refreshing to immerse myself in the culture of Hawaii, which Director Alexander Payne is able to infuse into every aspect of this film. In spite of all the haoles.

Matt King (George Clooney) is the trustee of a pristine stretch of land that has been handed down in his family dating back to the last King of Hawaii. King was born in Hawaii and traces his ancestry directly back to the King, although he and his cousins look nothing like the original Hawaiians. Unlike his cousins, King has tightly guarded his inheritance and is planning to sell the property to developers before the trust dissolves. The sale is an intense subject in the family, but takes a back seat to much more pressing issues in King's life.

King's wife is in a coma. She was in a boating accident where she was ejected from her boat, hitting her head. King's daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller) is just ten years old. She is exhibiting bad behavior, most notably a set of texts regarding another child's puberty. It is hard to define whether Scottie's behavior is completely related to her mother's accident or partially influenced by her seventeen-year-old sister, Alex (Shailene Woodley). Alex is at an exclusive boarding school, where she is supposed to be free of the influences of drugs, alcohol and older boys. Alex doesn't seem to be one to bend to authority.

King takes Alex out of school to help him deal with her mother's pending removal from life support. In the process of opening lines of communication that have long run dry, King learns from Alex that his wife was having an affair. Life happens. As King deals with his own grief, his children, his estate, his cousins and the realities of his own relationship, we are drawn to him. While imperfect, his ability to manage the unmanageable in the way that most people have to live life in spite of setbacks strikes a resounding chord of truth and familiarity.

The Descendants is not your typical family bonding drama. It is very Hawaiian in its pacing, refusing to force the issue while allowing life to develop at a natural pace. The story has complexity without cliche. It projects stripped down truth without manipulation. The story presents flawed characters learning to cope in ways that seem consistent with their personalities. In short, the story is believable. Not completely, but all things considered, believable in a way that characters can be in a two hour story. The plot wasn't contrived, but also lacked punch. The story lived in the characters, avoided easy outs and touched some tough corners of our existence with kid gloves. It was an enjoyable portrayal of characters that the audience can identify with in spite of their flaws.

Much of my enjoyment was tied to the performances as well as the music. The performances breathed life into characters that were carefully constructed to provide a pulse to the film. While one character (Sid, played by Nick Krause) seemed to be added for some comic relief, the overall set of characters felt legitimate. The legitimacy stems from strong casting. Clooney was awesome. I am not a big fan of the man, but his acting speaks for itself. He owned the role. I enjoyed Woodley and Miller as his daughters, too. They were well cast. I wasn't so sure about Beau Bridges as cousin Hugh, but his role was minimal. That may have been my issue. Either way, the cast brought the script to life.

The music was equally enjoyable. I used to enjoy a local group called Cecilio and Kapono when I lived in Hawaii. The Descendants infused authenticity into the film by using local artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson and Dennis Kamakahi. Hawaiian music has a folksy quality. The music also included what might be considered akin to country and western. It reminded me of a rodeo I went to during my years in Hawaii. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the Paniolo, the music. It is very Hawaiian, but also a throwback to the old West. A great soundtrack and awesome scenery littered this film with authenticity.

I was surprised to see that The Descendants received an R rating from the MPAA. The rating is probably tied to strong language, including strong language coming from the mouth of a ten-year-old. It included the F word, a word similar to twit, and some other choice expletives. The adult themes were covered through dialogue, making this film seem rather tame beyond the language issues and talk of drug and alcohol abuse. I have seen a lot worse in PG-13 films. This rating seems to stem entirely from the language. That is unfortunate. I would not be inclined to censor this touching film based on two or three scenes involving bad words.

I was a bit reluctant to see The Descendants. I think the Hawaiian setting won me over. I am glad I didn't miss this film. I'm not sure this film deserved a bunch of Oscar nominations, but it did win for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2012. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture and Best Performance (Clooney) as well as a couple of others. I'm not sure this was an Oscar-worthy film. However, I am going to highly recommend this film as an intriguing, melancholy film with strong characters. Some may view the pacing as sluggish. I prefer to view it as laid back. 8/10.

The photos and trailer in this post are property of Fox Searchlight Pictures.