This movie stars George Clooney as a Hawaiian father of two whose wife is left permaneantly comatose from a boating accident, and only after that accident does he learn that she was cheating on him. It is also a sure thing best picture nominee and will be on almost every critic’s top ten list. Problem is…I’m not sure it quite deserves all the praise.
What Works: This is a small gem of a movie. Everything in it feels realistic and well-observed (oh uh, “well-observed,” critic speak for “small”). Shaine Woodley deserves all of the kudos she’s getting for her performance as Clooney’s oldest daughter, and Clooney himself does a fine job. By now, Clooney is almost an underrated actor after delivering such subtly diverse work in Out of Sight, Syriana, Michael Clayton, and Up in the Air. People too often accuse him of playing himself, but I don’t think anyone will say that about his work here as a dorky, ruffled father going through a major crisis.
What Doesn’t Work: To say it’s the worst film director Alexander Payne has made is accurate but only because he’s made such perfect movies up until now (Election, About Schmidt, and Sideways). The Descendants doesn’t work on the level those movies do nor does it live up to Clooney’s excellent Up in the Air from two years ago. The film suffers most from ambitious expectations (when a movie stars the guy from Up in the Air and is directed by Alexander Payne, you’re forgiven for high hopes) and small goals. The movie works like a charm when you’re there but there’s no mistaking that it just doesn’t have that much on its mind. [It’ll make my top ten list for sure, but mostly because there’s not much else to put in its place.]
What I Would Have Done Differently: Read ANY review that mentions the movie is working on a smaller scale than you would think and adjusted my expectations accordingly.