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George Clooney
Shailene Woodley
Amara Miller
Robert Forster
Beau Bridges
Matthew Lillard

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Two teenage daughters push their father to his limit when they reveal their mother was having an affair before she had an accident.

03/06/2013 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Almost Paradise

Alexander Payne is a great director - and not just because he happens to be a native Nebraskan. He manages two feats I wouldn't have though possible: he makes George Clooney seem like a regular guy and he gives Matthew Lillard a dramatic role that actually works. Based on those two things alone, The Descendants is worth a watch.

What I like is that the story doesn't feel forced. Clooney plays a father and husband - his wife is in a coma following a boating accident and he is having trouble with how to deal with his two daughters (played with perfection by Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller). On top of this, his extended family is putting together a deal to sell a pristine parcel of Hawaiian land that has been in the family for generations in a multimillion dollar deal.

Then things r...

Rating of
3.5/4 

08/11/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

An enjoyable film but no oscar contender

Well normally after sitting through the sleepfest known as 'Michael Clayton' I normally wouldnt touch another Clooney film with a 10 ft pole! However i recently 'broke the ice' with 'Up In The Air' that itself wasn't bad which had me then thinking 'he can do an ok film' Well i decided to give 'The Descendants' a shot mostly due to the oscar buzz surrounding the film at the time. Anyways i always make a thing of going to see all nominated films around Oscar night. Not a bad film rather nowhere near an Oscar contender in my books, storyline although mostly depressing throughout had me 'hooked' 'till the end although no tears were shed by either myself nor my wife.

Clooney plays a wealthy businessman in Hawaii who gets pulled away from business as his extended family are in a real estat...

Rating of
3/4 

03/28/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

The Descendants

The Descendants is not a movie to watch as an escape or to be entertained. It is suffocatingly real with subjects of death, marital discord, and disconnection from a wife and two daughters. George Clooney shows a great range of acting ability in this movie. The scenery of the Hawaiian islands is breathtaking. The movie is quiet and not in a great hurry to make a point.
The sombering conclusion I arrived by the end credits is that life can be difficult and not at all what a person is planning anywhere on Earth, even in the paradise of the Hawaiian Islands.
I strongly suggest renting this movie before purchasing. It is fine to watch once, but it is not something for repeated viewings...unless one is just trying to spend two hours feeling depressed.

Rating of
2.5/4