THE DESCENDANTS

It's probably a good thing for Matt King (George Clooney) that Hawaii seems like a more laid back place than the rest of the country. He has some serious issues. Firstly, he has an impending land sale, the last plot from his royal ancestors, that will affect the lives of everyone in the whole state. Even worse, a boating accident has left his wife Elizabeth in a coma. Her recovery is uncertain and Matt has to take charge of telling her friends and family along with caring for his two daughters Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alex (Shailene Woodley). He and his daughters aren't really close, Matt is "the back-up parent." To make matters worse it turns out that his wife was having an affair at the time of the accident. Not Matt's best week.

Matt decides to seek out the man this other man. Tagging along are his daughters and Sid (Nick Krause), Alex's sudo-boyfriend. He's a stereotypical Hawaiian bro. Matt doesn't like Sid but his presence keeps Alex civil and perhaps it comforts Matt to have another man around, even if he's an airhead. What Matt really hopes to accomplish with this trek is unclear. Obviously he seeks some sort of confrontation but he's not a vindictive man, it seems that he want's to console his rival as much as anything else. From his point of view, this is also someone who loves his wife, they have something in common.

It's also interesting how his daughters deal with their mothers illness. They where a bit dysfunctional to begin with: 10 year old Scottie swears too much, bullies classmates and acts out at school. 17 year old Alex has some substance abuse issues that are only hinted at. Director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) doesn't deal with the kids as fully as he should, which is a shame since both the actresses are quite excellent. Still we get some nice nuggets, such as when Scottie brings her bratty friend to visit her mother: "She is in a coma; I guess you're not a liar."

There's nothing necessarily "wrong" with this film. True, it starts off slow and never gains any real momentum, but it's a nice enough film. There are also some nice supporting performances. Robert Foster (Jackie Brown, Mulholland Dr.) scores the films best laugh as well as some pathos as Elizabeth's judgmental father, and Beau Bridges is always welcome. Fans of Paynes other films may find themselves disappointed, and while Clooney is good in the film, it's certainly not his best performance. It's a good film, a complex film, but there's no need to rush out to see it.

Grade: B