The Descendants

I really got the pick of the draw this week. Two intense movies, back to back. First Agneepath and then Descendants. However, while Agneepath has a... read more

I really got the pick of the draw this week. Two intense movies, back to back. First Agneepath and then Descendants. However, while Agneepath has a Chikni Chameli to give you a breather, Descendants offers no such reprieve. It is full on loaded with emotion and to make it worse, understated emotion laced with wry humour. God help you. If I told you to take tissues to Agneepath, here I recommend diapers to hold to your eyes.

The story revolves around a family where a woman lies in a coma and is about to die. Her husband, who dearly loves her, (but was too busy for her), is told by his teenage daughter, that his wife was cheating on him. To add to his troubles, he is the sole trustee of a huge piece of land in Hawaii (They are Hawaiian) that he has to decide whether to sell or not, a decision that will affect the ecology of the island. Plus, his daughters seem to be maladjusted and he cannot handle them. Slowly, the man confronts the demons, the boyfriend and learns how to establish a relationship with his kids.

The story is lyrical and the sunny island setting, the casual Hawain shirts and the soothing folk music enhance this lyrical feeling. The ugliness of the affair and the sadness of the impending death are at odds with this natural beauty but work with it to create a melancholic feeling inside you.

George Clooney as the husband is straight faced and retains an ironic sense of practicality with a trace of humour. You weep just looking at him trying to make sense of the things that are happening to him. The two daughters are also heartbreakers.

Watch this movie if you have an appetite for serious relationship movies. I came out feeling really depressed and sad yet with a richer understanding of the value of family. But it may really ruin your dinner plans later.
view less

Many of us are married to our work. We spend years going through the motion not even realizing what is happening around us. We think we are providi... read more

Many of us are married to our work. We spend years going through the motion not even realizing what is happening around us. We think we are providing everything that is required by our family. We have also forgotten to read subtle cues in our relationship only to come to a point when it is beyond repair. Matt King (George Clooney) is all this and more.

Whats it about? Matts wife is in coma after a boat ride accident. Now, he has to be in charge of their two daughters Alexander (Shailene Woodley) & Scotty (Amara Miller) aged 17 & 10 respectively. If this wasnt enough he discovers that his wife was having an affair. He also has to take a decision to sell off his ancestral land to make way for touristy resorts. Jab musibat aati hai toh sab taraf se aati hai aptly describes the shit Matt is in.

How is it? One of the best films I have seen.

Why? Nat Faxon and Jim Rush are actors who make their debut as writers with this film. Alexander Payne co-writes with them and the beauty of the screenplay is how these writers with a bent towards comedy look at a tragic story. With just one film (Sideways) I became a fan of Alexander Payne, this one tops it. The best thing about the film is the ensemble cast. This is a film in which even the smallest character is well written and aptly cast. Shailene and Amara take you through multiple range of emotions, most of the times performing silently. With just that one scene with his wife towards the end George Clooney just melts your heart. That scene underlines his fantastic performance. Clooney is my bet for Best Actor at the Oscars this year. The movie didnt make me cry or bring a tear in my eye while watching it but later when I was discussing it I was choked with emotions that I am not able to describe. It makes you reflect on moments, lines and characters long after its over.

Final few words: The Descendants reminded of Gulzars Movies that dealt with relationships. It is a perfect Dramedy to watch and reflect.

Rating: **** (Mast Watch)

Ticket Meter: Worth a visit to the theatre at any cost
view less

Academy Award winning screenwriter Alexander Paynes latest dramedy (which is contending for the Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards) is best de... read more

Academy Award winning screenwriter Alexander Paynes latest dramedy (which is contending for the Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards) is best described as the study of human flaws and the consequences that it leads to, which catch the central character of the movie Matt King, shockingly off-guard.
Documenting the tragic phase in the life of a wealthy lawyer who is also the inheritor of an enviably sprawling property in the laidback Hawaiian islands, the Descendants succeeds on multiple levels because of its unabashed comedic treatment.
Because the story as you see it might appear very attractive and moving when absorbed simply as literature; but to translate it as stunningly as Payne does on screen is commendable and deserves the highest of honors.
Matt King (George Clooney) is a successful professional but his marital life has been unwittingly compromised in this tour. He has been emotionally withdrawn from his wife, who now remains comatose at the local hospital, which makes him realize that he shares an equal amount of disconnect with his two daughters aged 10 and 18. If he has been faithful is strictly on viewer perception and it hints on a strong, affirmative side but just being withdrawn from his wife and children has left him paralyzed as to how to deal with his their adolescence. He craves for being authoritative, hasnt known at all how to earn it. So rebellious Alexandra the older of the daughters quite bluntly puts at him that his wife was cheating on him. His being so clueless about it annoys her even more, while at the same time she wants his father to stand corrected. In the middle of the family crisis, the extended clan doesnt remain aloof either, as they wait for his impending decision on the enormous heritage that lays at the prime of Hawaii.
More than the technicalities involved in the mumbo-jumbo of law, Payne concentrates on the emotional turbulence faced by the ageing King, his relationship with his daughters, especially Alexandra which remarkably evolves from being awkward to cordial ending up as accurately natural and heartfelt. What drives King to so curiously to look for his wifes lover is probably the greatest testament to his honesty towards her; for it symbolizes that he is guilty for being work-obsessed but clearly not of infidelity. When he realizes she really was in love with this person and was contemplating divorce, he is shattered and in a moment of impulsiveness plants a kiss on his wife, in what is also one of the films most poignant moments.
Throughout the proceedings which is layered with complexities and has instances that put forth a mountain of exploding indecisiveness, what stands apart is the subtle treatment aided with humor which cannot even be called dark. There are more than a couple of laugh out loud moments and they come in the most morally challenging sequences where humor would be the last emotion relevant. Yet, such is the powerful acting by the films cast; it comes across as natural a sentiment like any other.
This is an instance of thoroughly exceptional screen-writing.
George Clooney is the undeniable star of the film, who conveys the most exaggerated emotions in a humble, subtle fashion. His eyes carry the baggage of his own calculations gone wrong, while at the same time reflecting his anxiety in correcting things. Heres one of the most powerful man at his vulnerable best. He is angry and frustrated, but never maniacal always composed. With Clooney, right from his unflattering attire to his measured words, its a performance to be watched and studied. He conveys so much even when he isnt verbalizing every thought thats entered his understandably confounded mind.
Had it not been for great Jean Dujardin in The Artist, Clooneys Oscar prospects couldve been blindingly brighter.
Shaillene Woodley as Alexandra is a fine actress emoting so brilliantly her occasional helplessness, and frequent concern, an Oscar snub is something that hurts. Beau Bridges is equally plausible in a tiny yet significant part. Overall, The Descendants is beautifully performed.
So we have a near perfect film, set amidst a stunning landscape of skyscrapers overlooking crystal-blue waters. As calm as the sprawling ocean appears, equally tumultuous are the lives of people inhabiting the shores.
As the film clearly discards the stereotypical thought that inevitably occurs in all of our minds of people leading cheerfully as if on permanent vacation in as laidback a place as Hawaii Payne succeeds in bringing out a very satisfying irony - the permanence of human blemishes irrespective of the geography.
view less

Clooney says a final goodbye to his comatose wife, calling her his pain and his joy. As one watches this brilliantly performed scene with a lump in... read more

Clooney says a final goodbye to his comatose wife, calling her his pain and his joy. As one watches this brilliantly performed scene with a lump in the throat, one wonders how close to life the fact is, relationships are the biggest joy and the greatest pain of human existence.

The Descendants is a string of such beautiful slice of life moments which though are happening to someone else, feel eerily close to home and reality.

Clooney is a middle aged father of two girls trying to come to terms with a wife in coma, a teenaged rebel of a daughter and another ten year old daughter he doesn't know what to do with. As he resolves to rebuild the family as a "backup" parent, the elder daughter lets him know of his mom's affair with a realtor. Caught in the dilemma of whether to help the dying wife or hate her for cheating on him, Clooney also has to decide on the sale of a huge inheritance.

Set in picturesque Hawai, The Descendants is heavy yet breezy and comic take on life, death, relationships and how there is no time to hold grudges and whine sometimes when it comes to maintaining relationships.

Clooney, as the core of the film, delivers a nuanced and measured act in portraying a man torn between his love for his family and wife and his hatred for the betrayal in his marriage. His silences, his pauses, take you deep into the characters mind, drawing you into the family's predicament. Brilliantly supported by the elder daughter, he slowly builds his life back, and as life does, moves on.

Alexander Payne tells a very simple story, sans any glitter or urgency while maintaining a hunky dory feel to the otherwise predictable story. Even after second guessing every next plot turn, one is kept engaged and drawn into the story. What also works for the film is the amazing odd ball background score that underlines the irony of the character's lives.

The Descendants leaves a sense of warmth in the heart, much like a hug from a friend when down in the blues. Watch it definitely, it is not one you can afford to miss.



view less

The Descendants releases in India amongst much Oscar buzz and two major Golden Globes wins for Best Drama and Best Actor. However it fails to make ... read more

The Descendants releases in India amongst much Oscar buzz and two major Golden Globes wins for Best Drama and Best Actor. However it fails to make an indelible mark like last year's favorites Black Swan and The King. Still it a good watch and doesn't disappoint.

Alexander Payne dons the director's hat seven years after his hugely acclaimed film Sideways. The Descendants displays most of the charm and amicability of it's predecessor but the film never really moves out of the boundaries that the director sets with the premise. You predict the characters' development and their catharses as you wait for the inevitable much like Clooney's coma ridden wife waiting for her death. Yet a clever screenplay and some never before seen shots of Hawaii make it an interesting journey.

Clooney gives a measured and emotionally raw performance. You feel for his tortured soul as his sorrowful eyes and tanned wrinkles tell the story of his pain; hell even just the back of his head sitting quietly tugs at you as the Hawaiian ukulele gently plays in the background. The supporting cast is fresh and Clooney's two young daughters bring in much of the conflict in his life as they bring life to the film.

The last 20 minutes of the film feel stretched especially when everything is a foregone conclusion and you are just waiting for the fat lady to sing. As the film ends you see Clooney with his two daughters sedately sitting in front of the telly eating ice cream. The entire film flashes before your eyes as a metaphor; mellow waves of the ocean crashing onto a calm shore.

The film definitely is a rich and nuanced work but given the hoopla around it, you keep wondering if you are the idiot who doesn't get it. Still worth a watch and one of the better English flicks to release in a while. Go for it, you will enjoy the experience.
3 stars. view less