Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Descendants

Alexander Payne's The Descendants is a warm, slightly quirky, mildly funny, definitely poignant drama about a man trying to bring his family together at a time of grief.

The wife of the character played by George Clooney is in a coma and it is time to pull the plug. At this time, Clooney discovers that she had been having an affair. He has to deal with the mixed feelings of loss and rage and betrayal, and the narrative arc of the movie centers on him trying to find her lover to let him know that she is dying.

The pacing and acting of The Descendants is breezy and relaxed. The action takes place on the Hawaiian islands, where the family owns land, and the music and beauty of the surroundings seep into the sorrow of melodrama, keeping it from reaching any kind of screeching or overwrought notes. This was a good thing. However, sometimes the actors seemed too casual for the circumstances, and there was something strange about the lack of intense crying (one character had a moment at the end that was pretty amazing).

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