2.06.2012

The Descendants


I give the movie five stars. It was sad but really good with a great set of actors who really evolved during the movie.  The Descendants, which was directed by Alexander Payne, presents a lot of emotional issues that the characters have to work through.  George Clooney plays the part of a “workaholic” father, Matt King, to two kids and a husband to a wife Elizabeth King (Patricia Hastie) who has just been hospitalized for a water surfing injury.  His two daughters, Scottie portrayed by (Amara Miller) and Alexandra King played by (Shailene Woodley), are dealing with their mother’s accident in different ways, but both are extremely out-of-hand and rebellious.
            Matt King seems to love his work more than his family.  He lives in Hawaii with two rebellious kids. The older one Alexandra King is away at boarding school and is brought back home to help out with her little sister.  She isn’t helpful in the beginning and just makes life worse for her dad. Scottie the little sister is learning her big sister’s behavior.  Matt manages to make peace with the younger daughter Scottie. The two of them go to get his older daughter Alexandra from boarding school for summer vacation.  Behind Scottie’s back Matt tells Alexandra that their mother is dying and he really brought her home to help take care of things.  The older sister is not happy. Later she tells her father that she’s not so much sad but annoyed and mad at her mother because she caught her mother cheating. Alexandra and Matt plan a trip to find mom’s lover Brian Speer (Mathew Lillard) along with Scottie and Alexandra’s. After visiting Elizabeth’s parents, they manage a visit to mom’s lover’s home where Matt confronts the lover Brain and tells him Elizabeth is dying.  In the end it is the mother’s serious condition that brings the family together and forces the father to care more about the well being of his kids than his work. 
            The actors played their roles very well. Both Matt King and Alexandra successfully change from selfish to caring people. Alexandra’s friend Sid plays a good troublemaker jerk, but with his portrayal one realizes that he has problems and a heart. The little sister’s change is also believable as she plays a brat and then calms down.  Both hers and Alexandra’s transformations seem believable. 
            The film uses a lot of Hawaiian music, which changed to fit the scenes. The music was intense or calming when necessary The use of close- up’s was very effective in showing faces and the character’s reactions to things.  When the family walks into the bar and Matt receives some troubling news, the camera zooms in close, and the audience understands his turmoil. In another scene on the boat Matt looks at Alexandra with almost sad agreement, and they have a silent conversation, and the close up and camera angles clearly presents their emotions.
            I cannot comment on the difference between the characters and the actors’ job of portraying those characters versus the book since I have not read the book. I believe the movie must have presented the book well.
            All in all, I thought The Descendants was a great movie, and I really enjoyed the humor. The music was well chosen. The camera angles and close up’s worked well with each shot in each scene. Every line was portrayed well by each actor. There were times I really connected with a character’s sadness and I laughed along with everyone else.  It’s a great movie, and I highly recommend it. 

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you that The Dependence is a good movie. I also liked the use of the close up to bring the viewer in to the emotion of the character. I am glad you said something about the music, I always forget how important music is to help carry out an emotion in a film. The one thing I don't agree with is your rating. I gave this movie 3 Stars. To give the first movie we view for this class a full 5 star rating is very bold of you. I like to hold back my full 5 star rating for a movie that can touch every emotion equally and do it with in a great story. Thanks Scott Saiz

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  2. Good Review- i really liked the fact that you mention the close ups especially when they are at the bar and, through one of his cousins, that his wife's lover happens to be the brother in law to the guy that they are this close to selling their land. It's a very powerful revelation and the close up really builds that tension even more.

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