The Descendants

The Descendants is a film about hanging on and letting go. George Clooney plays Matt King, a lawyer who is the sole trustee of the King family estate who inherited a large parcel of virgin Hawaiian land from their Royal Hawaiian ancestor.  A direct descendant of King Kamehameha, their great, great grandmother married her white banker and the land she inherited has been handed down for generations. Due to some legal issues the King family will be losing their land rights in seven years, so they have agreed to sell. Matt, as trustee, will make the final decision, but a sale of this magnitude will make his entire family rich. He has a very big decision on his hands.

At home, Matt’s life is falling apart. His wife is in a coma after a boating accident and his two daughters are acting out. He was always the back-up parent but with his wife in the hospital he must now step up. He yanks his oldest daughter out of boarding school (Shailene Woodley) while he goes around town apologizing for his youngest daughter’s behavior (Amara Miller). Scottie is being disruptive at school, breaking things at home, and sending inappropriate texts to her friends. Every phone call sends a shiver up his spine, what has Scotty done next?

As grim as this subject matter sounds, The Descendants is full of humor. As humans we can be quite ridiculous as we try to control things that are completely out of our hands. George Clooney plays a man who is in way over his head. And as life keeps piling it on he displays a classic comic pathos. Like a silent comedian of days gone by we feel for him but can’t help but giggle at his efforts. In a Shakespearean play he would be called a cuckold and he is desperately trying to regain some dignity.

There are a lot of fine performances in this film. Shailene Woodley is outstanding as Alexandra King who journeys from a rebellious teenage daughter to a surrogate mother for her younger sister. She puts her dad through all the paces but through a moment of new-found maturity she finally realizes that he is doing the best he can. For moral support she brings along a friend (Nick Krause) who is dumb looking surfer type. Matt can’t stand the kid and hates having a witness to the worst time in his life but it’s clear that his daughter is in charge. Matt is on the verge of rolling up into a fetal position. Also excellent is Amara Miller as Scottie King, the youngest. She has been protected due to her age but her instincts have been telling her that something is wrong. Unable to express her fears and concerns she has been acting out in violent ways. Poor Matt really has his hands full.

In addition to our leads Robert Forster packs a punch in his small role as Matt’s father-in-law. Beau Bridges makes a poignant appearance as one of the King cousins, and Judy Greer makes an impact as a betrayed wife whose husband (Matthew Lillard) is cheating on her.  Every character is integral to the film and reinforces the theme; how do you know when to hang on, or let go? Whether it is property, a marriage, a child, or the image of a loved one, life is constantly evolving. We either hang on for dear life or jump off the surfboard. The trick is not getting hit in the head.

Rating: First Run There's trouble in paradise