The ReelScope

George Clooney stars in The Descendants

The Descendants is an extremely pleasant movie going experience that will be received well by all audiences. Part of this wide spread appeal stems from the fact that this is a movie that that understands and warmly embraces the fact that when it comes to family, not normal is normal.

George Clooney stars as Matt King, an attorney from Hawaii who, despite the appearance of a man who seemingly lives carefree in paradise, isn’t immune to the messiness of life. He is in the process of selling 26,000 acres of pristine, untouched Hawaiian land which the family has owned for over a hundred years. All of Matt’s cousins are involved in negotiations with various buyers but Matt is the official trustee. Only his signature has the power to solidify any deal.

However, just before a deal is finalized, Matt’s wife, Elizabeth, suffers a traumatic brain injury in a boating accident and she becomes comatose. For the first time, Matt is forced to become the primary parental figure for his children, something he is certainly not used to or prepared for. Matt shares with his oldest daughter Alex that the doctors have told him Elizabeth is not going to wake up and that her death is very near. Upon hearing the news, Alex is devastated and confides to Matt that Elizabeth was cheating on him. Matt suddenly understands Alex and Elizabeth’s troubled relationship.

Matt is furious at first, and badgers two close friends into telling him that the man Elizabeth was spending time with is named Brian Speer. Matt shares this news with Alex and they mutually decide to search for him, bringing Matt’s younger daughter Scottie and Alex’s guy-friend Sid along. As an eccentric little group, they travel about the islands of Hawaii as Matt breaks the news about Elizabeth’s imminent death to loved ones and attempts to learn more about Brian.

George Clooney’s performance here is masterful. He realistically portrays his character with vivid life through the vast array of human emotions he expertly exhibits, which include fury, happiness, sadness, confusion and much more.

Through this whole experience, Matt comes to discover things that are hurtful in ways he couldn’t have imagined. However, he also learns to see himself as a father who matters to his children and as an important member of his family who can make decisions for the greater good. The movie is a beautiful display of how the goal of a family can’t be reduced to an ultimate aspiration determined by formula. Rather, family means something different to everybody. What a great movie.