The Descendants (2011)

Of all of 2011’s most critically acclaimed movies, The Descendants is the one that seems to keep shrinking to the back in the shadow of more nostalgia-driven films like The Artist and Hugo, which is understandable, although its success is rising as of late. Unlike other popular movies of the year, it is not a spectacle, nor does it exist solely to relay a message. It is a steady, calming study of very real characters and how they deal with loss, guided by the careful direction of Alexander Payne. George Clooney stars as a man who is coming to terms with how rocky his marriage has truly been when he learns that his wife is in a coma from which she will not awake. To make things worse, his undisciplined daughter, played by Shailene Woodley, informs him that his wife had been cheating on him.

This is a very emotional movie, but in a way you might not expect. It goes through stages of self re-evaluation, stopping at all the points anyone who has lost someone will recognize. There are moments of genuine depression, which are joined by some great moments of light comedy, usually at the expense of Woodley’s dim-witted boyfriend. Essentially, The Descendants is an easy audience favorite. If directors can play viewers like instruments, then Payne is a master pianist. This film knows all the right chords to hit and when to hit them. A scene that left the audience guffawing was quickly followed with one that had them in tears, and such is the way the movie operates, like a sympathetic roller coaster. There are moments that I honestly felt were perhaps a little too manipulative (People cry during hardships, I get it already.), but the movie still manages to latch onto the viewer’s attention and become something really special. The primary reason it works is because of Clooney. The guy has plenty of acting talent and under the eyes of the director a great character has been created. I can’t imagine what the movie would have played like without him, because he plays the role precisely in the way that any of us would have been in the same circumstances. The character is as close to reality as cinema can reach. I must also mention how excellent Woodley is in a role that could have been extremely contrived, like the rest of the movie, but is quite remarkable.

The Descendants is the kind of movie that is most likely to get attention at awards time, meaning it is just the sort of movie the general public likes to avoid. To be sure, there are many people who will not find the material as compelling as others. I thought it was a nearly perfect drama headlined by unbeatable performances. The fact that audiences seem to love it is simply evidence that it has served its purpose well. With this one film, George Clooney has proven his worth as an A-list actor once and for all, and Alexander Payne has elevated himself to the place of great modern film-makers.

9/10