Title: The Descendants
(2011)Original UK Release Date: 27th January 2012
Original US Release Date: 9th December 2011
UK Rating: 15
US Rating: R
Director: Alexander Payne
Genre: Drama
Plot: A land owner has to take care of his two daughters after his wife is in a boating accident.
Mike's Review
I wanted
to see this mainly to see if George Clooney was truly deserving of the best actor
nomination. I’m a fan of his but he usually always plays the same kind of characters,
a flawed and/or ruthless person who has an experience and realises the error of
his ways. And this is no different.
George
Clooney plays Matt King
who along with his family owns a large piece of land on a Hawaiian island. His wife
is in a boating accident and is left in a coma. Matt has to put his
professional life on hold to take care of his two daughters. He also discovers
his wife was seeing another man and wanted to leave him.
This is
a good film with every cast member, Shailene Woodley, Amara
Miller, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer, doing
an excellent job. But it is the performance of Nick Krause as Sid who steals the scene every time he
speaks. He adds a needed element of comedy in an otherwise serious film.
So does
George Clooney’s performance deserve the Oscar nomination
and the Golden Globe win? Having not yet watched all the nominated films I
can’t say. But he is great in this film. He is better than usual showing more
emotion and vulnerability than he normally does. But it is the cast as a whole
that makes this film work so well. Even though he is in pretty much every scene
and it is his story, the cast brings this film to life and helps give his
character added dimension.
The
film itself is one of those that doesn’t really go anywhere. It tells the story
that takes place over a few days well. There is no need for character
development and no one really learns a life lesson. But the story is good and
the characters realistic and interesting.
This is
a good film and I enjoyed watching it. It’s a good movie for a quiet afternoon.
8 out of 10
Additional Information
Stand out performance: Nick Krause as Sid
Trailer
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