“Give your children enough money to do something, but not enough to do nothing,” says Matt King, who is played by George Clooney in the 2012 Golden Globes Best Motion Picture. A thoughtful and realistic statement that many a parent has probably thought in their lifetime. Thoughtful and realistic: that is how I choose to describe this film.
The Descendants takes place in Hawaii...and now you may be wondering just how realistic can it be if it takes place in Hawaii. In one of King's (Clooney) voiceovers at the beginning of the film, he addresses just that, saying, "My friends think that just because we live in Hawaii, we live in paradise… Are they insane? Do they think we’re immune to life? How can they possibly think our families are less screwed up?...Hell, I haven't been on a surfboard in fifteen years." Right away, the audience knows they're in for more than just a romanticized plot and montages of the "gorgeous George" and the gorgeous shore.
This film is the story of how Matt King and his two daughters cope with a situation that is completely contrasting with the idea of paradise. Basically, Matt (who says of himself, “I’m the backup parent. The understudy.”) is thrown into the role of primary parent after living all of his life as the hard-working breadwinner for his family. Now, I would say that I cannot ever, under any circumstances, tell you what actually happened to make their lives so horrible, but it really won't ruin anything for you to hear that his wife has fallen into a coma after a boating incident. The draw of this film is mainly the acting, not so much the plot.
In addition to having to plow through one of the most difficult times of his life, Matt has to find a way to make his entire extended family happy when he is faced with his duty to sell thousands of acres of prime Hawaiian real estate that had been passed down from one of his great-great grandparents. (A bit less realistic, but it makes for some beautiful cinematography.) All the while, Matt is trying to help his daughters through the tough time they are going through with the hospitalized-state of their mother. And as if that's not enough, Mrs. King, as explained in the trailer, has been having an affair.
Now, don't think that just because Clooney is in this film means that the people in charge of casting for this film took a break. Matt's daughters, Scottie, 10, (played by the adorable Amara Miller) and Alex, 17, (played by The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Shailene Woodley) are phenomenal characters that are played by actresses that really understood their roles.
Also, in terms of the casting of this movie, there were two familiar faces from comedic roles that I wouldn't typically have thought to have seen in a drama like this. Firstly, Matthew Lillard (yes, Shaggy from the "real-people" Scooby Doo movie). Secondly, Judy Greer, who has been in basically every popular sitcom for the past five years. (They both play parts that I won't spoil for you here, but their acting in such serious roles will probably impress you.)
For me, this movie was full of great acting that was thoughtful and realistic. Clooney, for once, does not play a cocky man in a suit, and though I normally despise him, and I am willing to admit that he did an excellent job in his role as Matt King. The film was deep and emotional, just as you'd suspect with all of the conflicts, however, I'm not sure that I'd call it a "must-see" for people of generation Y. It was good but forgettable.
(This was one for the baby-boomers, which explains why it won at the Golden Globes.)
For more information on the film, please visit: IMDb: The Descendants.
Thanks for reading/visiting/following!
The Descendants takes place in Hawaii...and now you may be wondering just how realistic can it be if it takes place in Hawaii. In one of King's (Clooney) voiceovers at the beginning of the film, he addresses just that, saying, "My friends think that just because we live in Hawaii, we live in paradise… Are they insane? Do they think we’re immune to life? How can they possibly think our families are less screwed up?...Hell, I haven't been on a surfboard in fifteen years." Right away, the audience knows they're in for more than just a romanticized plot and montages of the "gorgeous George" and the gorgeous shore.
This film is the story of how Matt King and his two daughters cope with a situation that is completely contrasting with the idea of paradise. Basically, Matt (who says of himself, “I’m the backup parent. The understudy.”) is thrown into the role of primary parent after living all of his life as the hard-working breadwinner for his family. Now, I would say that I cannot ever, under any circumstances, tell you what actually happened to make their lives so horrible, but it really won't ruin anything for you to hear that his wife has fallen into a coma after a boating incident. The draw of this film is mainly the acting, not so much the plot.
In addition to having to plow through one of the most difficult times of his life, Matt has to find a way to make his entire extended family happy when he is faced with his duty to sell thousands of acres of prime Hawaiian real estate that had been passed down from one of his great-great grandparents. (A bit less realistic, but it makes for some beautiful cinematography.) All the while, Matt is trying to help his daughters through the tough time they are going through with the hospitalized-state of their mother. And as if that's not enough, Mrs. King, as explained in the trailer, has been having an affair.
Now, don't think that just because Clooney is in this film means that the people in charge of casting for this film took a break. Matt's daughters, Scottie, 10, (played by the adorable Amara Miller) and Alex, 17, (played by The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Shailene Woodley) are phenomenal characters that are played by actresses that really understood their roles.
Also, in terms of the casting of this movie, there were two familiar faces from comedic roles that I wouldn't typically have thought to have seen in a drama like this. Firstly, Matthew Lillard (yes, Shaggy from the "real-people" Scooby Doo movie). Secondly, Judy Greer, who has been in basically every popular sitcom for the past five years. (They both play parts that I won't spoil for you here, but their acting in such serious roles will probably impress you.)
For me, this movie was full of great acting that was thoughtful and realistic. Clooney, for once, does not play a cocky man in a suit, and though I normally despise him, and I am willing to admit that he did an excellent job in his role as Matt King. The film was deep and emotional, just as you'd suspect with all of the conflicts, however, I'm not sure that I'd call it a "must-see" for people of generation Y. It was good but forgettable.
(This was one for the baby-boomers, which explains why it won at the Golden Globes.)
For more information on the film, please visit: IMDb: The Descendants.
Thanks for reading/visiting/following!
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