loriharon This is a great film about a man who tries to reconnect with his daughters and sort things out after his wife is critically injured in a boating accident. Alexander Payne has surely become a voice to be reckoned with, and each new film of his brings about a new layer of complexity to his work. George Clooney manages to show us that he indeed a good actor when in his element and both Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller are exceptional as his daughters. The setting is gorgeous Hawaii and although this isn't a "visual" film per se there is a symphony of sorts between the emotions of the main characters and the seas and plains of Hawaii. This is one unmissable film.

cricketbat The Descendants does a great job of dealing with a variety of complex emotions. It manages to maintain a lighthearted feel, despite the dark and depressing subject matter. Each one of the performances feels genuine and heartfelt, and I felt myself getting caught up in it all. This definitely deserved the Academy Award nomination.

merelyaninnuendo The DescendantsEven though the premise floats on intense tone and serious family drama, the quality that attracts the viewers is the hint of a comic personality in each and every character that comes out of them even in such circumstances. The Descendants is one of those rare films that totally resonates with reality and practicality of it and still endures the dramatic side of it with genuine emotions, pragmatic characters and unpredictable script. Alexander Payne is completely aware of the world he is projecting onto the screen and uses it in a perfect way to connect the audience and offer enough content to feed them for around 2 hours. And as far as performance is concerned, George Clooney is at its best, as a disturbed and often surprisingly funny guy in a tragic stage of his life; he is carrying the whole movie on his shoulder. The Descendants is a movie that allows audience to rethink about it and keeps them on hold by unfolding the plot on each phase in a perfect way possible.

Special-K88 Poignant, engrossing slice of life with Clooney in peak form as Matt King-a workaholic, Honolulu-based real estate attorney, distant husband, and "backup parent" of two rebellious daughters. He's also the sole trustee of 25,000 pristine acres on the island of Kauai, but his once monotonous life hits a major detour when a boating accident leaves his wife in a coma, and he discovers that she was having an affair. Now at a crossroads, he's forced (for the first time in years) to fully embrace his role as a husband and father, and make some critical decisions moving forward. Thoughtful, well-made comedy-drama is interesting and insightful every step of the way with compelling themes, characters who are real, first-rate performances, and beautiful, breathtaking Hawaiian scenery as an added bonus. ***