The Descendants

Anytime we get the HBO free weekend at my house, I find myself watching The Descendants (2011) again. It’s funny, I realized that I had actually gone to the theater and seen two of Alexander Payne’s films: Sideways & About Schmidt. All three of these films deal with older men contending with emotional crises. I had returned from a nice Father’s Day dinner with my family, and Sideways was on, but I’m not the kind of viewer who really likes to come right into the middle of a film. I don’t like missing the details that might have been important prior to where the movie is currently when I arrive into it. Paul Giamatti is one of those wine connoisseurs at that stage of his life where the absence of love and a career that has stalled (he writes about wine for a living) present emotional agonies that pal Thomas Hayden Church has problems relating to. In About Schmidt, Jack Nicholson has a hard time adjusting to retirement and his daughter’s plans to wed shakes him a bit.

 The Descendants has George Clooney hit by a barrage of events in his life, such as a comatose wife deteriorating in a hospital bed while hooked to a machine (brain injury  from a boating accident), two daughters dealing with emotional issues (Shailene Woodley (mostly seen scantily clad in bikinis and short shorts) as a potty-mouth teenager who has an issue with “drugs and older guys” and Amara Miller (taking “inappropriate” photographs and using weight insults towards a classmate), and learning (from Shailene) that his wife had been having an adulterous affair with a real estate lawyer (and family man). There’s plenty of anger, frustration, and angst, but I think what stands out to me and what has me returning to the film is the authenticity of how Clooney expresses all of the emotional upheaval that comes when a person is confronted with a multitude of problems, all seemingly converging at one time. Clooney has to deal with all of them and can’t run from any of these mounting responsibilities. I think the success of this performance is because Clooney is wholly convincing. I think that reaction to the news of the wife’s adultery from the daughter is the strongest example. It was like you could see the blood drain from his face and this wave of shock come over him. That mix of sudden rage and discomfort (how to address what he just learned, confronting those that might have had a clue, trying to determine how to find and confront his wife’s lover), along with frustrations of not being able to address his feelings with a wife who has no ability to answer (or defend herself), and Clooney is able to convey the range needed for his character. Add the Hawaiian setting to the mix—I liked how the opening narration from Clooney dispels the myth that all is good in Hawaii and that it is the most ideal place to live, that the state isn’t immune from all the problems in America—as an interesting backdrop to the drama, and it isn’t a surprise I return to The Descendants over and over.

Robert Forster as the wife’s father, disgruntled at Clooney and Shailene for their behavior towards his good, moral, fine daughter (he’s just a wee bit delusional), is almost always on edge (as any father would be), fueled with plenty of blame to dish to others. I like this one scene where Shailene takes up for Clooney after Forster scolds him. Clooney appears surprised (again, his reactions are important to how we view the character and his emotional well-being) at his daughter’s coming to his aid. When Clooney does find his wife’s lover (Matthew Lillard, who has this startled look, appropriate considering he just met the husband, and unease when asked about Clooney’s wife), he decides to meet him, harboring questions regarding whether or not he loved her. If anything, Clooney just wants to see him, size him up, and understand what qualities about him were worthy of adultery. The family’s coming to terms with the loss of their mother at the end is grueling (as it should be), especially after the entire film has served as a sort of critique of her life.

I think there are several memorable moments from Clooney, but for me his gut wrenching reaction to the revelation that his wife was going to divorce him (from two family friends who knew about the affair) was the highpoint. This is that pivotal moment that throws his whole world into a tizzy. The property “dispute” is kind of the subplot that pokes its head in every now and then, kind of reminding us that Clooney has another reason to feel anxiety. His family is counting on him to “do the right thing” and sell it to the highest bidder so they can pocket the spoils left by the father who past on the role of Executor of the Will to Clooney. He’s the one burdened to decide whether or not the land can be sold. His decision will have repercussions one way or another. Acceptance, while not easy, is really the only way to heal. I think when the family says goodbye and learns to move on, there’s a little get together at the very end that offers a chance for a father and daughters to bond, have peace, and enjoy ice cream. After all the drama beforehand, they deserve as much.