Fate's cruel hand a coup for Clooney
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The Descendants (15, 115 mins)
Drama/Comedy/Romance. George Clooney, Shailene Woodley,
Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Beau
Bridges, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie. Director:
Alexander Payne.
Good things come to those who wait and it's been an agonising
seven years since writer-director Alexander Payne ventured to the
sun-dappled vineyards of the quirky Oscar-winning comedy
Sideways.
He has directed a couple of short films and a TV pilot in the
interim but Payne's distinctive voice has been silent for too
long.
Thankfully, the acclaimed debut novel of Kaui Hart Hemmings has
wooed the film-maker back into the director's chair, working from a
beautifully crafted script by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
Set against the lush backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, The
Descendants is a heartbreaking portrait of a family in crisis.
The film provides George Clooney with the role of his career and
the handsome star elegantly navigates choppy emotional waters as a
father who must turn off his wife's life support machine while
dealing with the grief of his two children.
The scene in which his character prepares to give the final
order to doctors, kissing his beloved on the forehead and
whispering, "Goodbye my love, my pain", as a single tear rolls down
his cheek, is sublime.
An Oscar next month would be a fitting reward.
Matthew King (Clooney) stares forlornly at his adrenaline-junkie
wife Liz (Patricia Hastie) as she lies in a vegetative state after
a water-skiing accident.
Doctors tell him there is no hope of recovery and everyone
should say their farewells.
With a heavy heart, Matthew bravely gathers together his
10-year-old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) and his rebellious
17-year-old daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley).
The older child stopped talking to her mother shortly before the
accident and it transpires that Alex discovered Liz was having an
affair with real estate agent Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard).
Matthew is devastated but eventually decides to take a two-day
vacation to find Brian and inform his rival of Liz's injury.
"Everyone who loves Elizabeth deserves a chance to say goodbye,"
Matthew tells an incredulous Alex.
The Descendants is drolly narrated by Matthew, who mocks the
beauty of the Hawaiian landscape and shares the secrets to perfect
parenting ("I agree with my father. You give your children enough
money to do something but not enough to do nothing.")
Characters are delicately sketched and there are lovely scenes
between Clooney, Woodley and youngster Miller as they try to make
sense of the hand that fate has cruelly dealt them.
Comic relief comes in part from Nick Krause as Alex's slacker
pal Sid, who joins the Kings on their painful odyssey.
However, even he tugs the heartstrings in a remarkable, early
morning heart-to-heart with Matthew that reveals the anguish behind
his clown's goofy smile.
Belly laughs are balanced with tragedy and despair and Payne
doesn't strike a single false emotional note, although he does
allow sentimentality to creep in for the sombre final five
minutes.
:: Swearing :: No sex :: Violence:: Rating: 9/10
To find local screenings of The Descendants, click here.
Wednesday, January 25 2012
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