The Descendants (2011)

Country: USA

Language: English

Actors: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Robert Forster

Director: Alexander Payne

A two faced story that is a comedy in one frame and a family drama on the other. Superbly scripted, well-acted out movie that is in the running for this year’s best movie Oscars. I love the way the director opens the movie, with a disclaimer on what we thing Hawaii is and what it actually is.

It tells us the story of a workaholic Honolulu lawyer, Matt King. He is a father of two girls, a 10 & a 17 year old and a comatose wife in a hospital. He is also the trustee of a family holding of 25,000 acres of land in an island of Kauai. The land has to be sold before the trust expires in the next 7 years because of the law of perpetuities.

Matt is faced up with a couple of situations, with the wife in coma he has to take care of his two girls. From being a second hand father to hands on seems to be a tough transition for him, especially with the two problem children he has. With the sale of the trust land also in the materialization stage, he has his hands full.

The doctor’s tell Matt that his wife will never wake-up and because of her living will he has to authorize the hospital to pull the plug, discontinue life support. And he decides that he has to inform about his wife’s state to all her friends & family and get them to visit her for one last time before she dies. To amplify things, he gets to know about his wife’s infidelity from his elder daughter.

He decides to find his wife’s lover, confront him and get him to meet his (Matt’s) wife for one last time. The search complicates things further when he finds that the sale of the estate comes into this equation.

Does Matt get his wife’s lover meet her for one last time ?

How is the sale of the family estate linked to the equation ?

Is the estate sold ?

These are questions that will be answered towards the end of the movie.

George Clooney, what do I say ? Many have said that this is probably his best acting performance. Phew, was that acting ? I didn’t see Clooney at all except in the credit titles. Amazing stuff. Alexander Payne, all the usual clichés that are associated with a director of a good movie is due, to his man. His casting is one of the most important things that get this movie an extra couple of points. And of course every single one of his actors have done justice to their casting. And background score needs another mention, I loved the Hawaiian flavor.

Surely a best movie award material. I would only be surprised if this movie doesn’t win any Oscars, has to win at least a couple (hopefully).

A sure SuperWatch !!