The Descendants (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

Matt King, played by George Clooney, is not that different from a lot of men. He’s a workaholic, successful as a property attorney, and puts duty to the job before family. He has a wife, Elizabeth, played by Patricia Hastie. And 2 daughters, Scottie age 10, played by Amara Miller. And Alexandra age 17, played by Shailene Woodley. He’s never home and leaves the responsibility of home life to his wife. Matt makes the money and Elizabeth takes care of everything else.Matt differs from a lot of men in that he’s a descendant of Hawaiian royalty, which includes a hefty inheritance of Hawaiian land. The sale of the land over the years has left him and his cousins very well off. He is sole trustee of the family’s last parcel - 25,000 acres of Hawaiian paradise. Because of legal issues with the trust, the land should be sold. The potential buyer of the land plans to turn it into resorts, condos and other commercial endeavors. He and his cousins stand to make a half billion dollars to split amongst them when the sale goes through. The decision to sell is in Matt’s control. Unlike Matt, his cousins have squandered most of their inheritance and are pressuring Matt to close the deal.He also differs from other men because his life forever changes when his wife ends up in a coma after a boating accident. Suddenly he is facing the reality that he knows nothing about the life she was leading before her accident, and has no clue how to deal with his daughters.After an incident where Scottie acts inappropriately at her school, he admits he hasn't really taken care of her since she was 3. He describes himself as the back up parent, the understudy. When he finds out that she's been bullying a classmate, he feels it must be out of character for her. But Matt doesn't really know if Scottie is acting up because her mother is seriously ill, or because that is just her personality.Daughter Alex confounds her father even more, spending too much time with older men, doing drugs and defying authority. When Matt picks her up at boarding school so she can help with Scottie, he is perplexed by how angry she is with her mother. Alex reveals that her anger comes from finding out something about her mother that Elizabeth was trying to keep secret. He later finds out that their mutual friends were also keeping the same secret. He feels betrayed and hurt, but also unprepared at how out of his control his life has become.His family’s tragedy is a catalyst that sets in motion events and revelations that not only force him to examine his marriage and his relationship with his daughters, but also the sale of the land. It starts him on a journey that helps him redefine what’s important to him.The power of this movie is in its subtlety achieved with a well-written script and superb acting. It’s complex and thought provoking. It succeeds without relying on sensationalism to keep our interest. Jealousy and anger run high in this film, but nobody is stabbed or shot in a fit of rage. We hear about the accident that leaves Elizabeth comatose, but we don't see it. There are no flashbacks to past events. Real time character interactions and events tell the story. And do so successfully. The lush Hawaiian mountains and greenery, and the native Hawaiian music should have equal billing with the cast. Both are outstanding.Some of the reviewers feel that the ending doesn’t live up to the quality of the rest of the film. That it’s hastily added on and poorly done. I disagree. It’s a perfect ending to the film.In her hospital room, Elizabeth is covered with an old yellow and white quilt. It appears about halfway through the film after a visit from her mother and father. At the same time, personal items from her childhood also appear, such as a diploma, pictures of her as a child, and a necklace.The final scene of the film starts with Scottie at home, on a couch, watching tv and cuddled up under the same quilt that her mother had in the hospital. Then Matt joins her with bowls of ice cream to share, and he covers up under the quilt as well. Alex enters, joins them on the couch under the quilt, and shares in some of the ice cream. As with the rest of the film, it’s subtle, but effective and it brings the film to its conclusion.The Descendants received considerable critical acclaim. It was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for George Clooney. Each would have been well-deserved. It did win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also was awarded 2 Golden Globe awards, Best Picture and George Clooney for Best Actor. And rightly so. One of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

The poignant story told in this movie.... the gorgeous setting of a Hawaiian Island.... George Clooney........ this was a great movie to rent.

I love great acting and this movie was casted well. Even if a movie isn't that great but the acting is awesome, I favor the movie. I watched it so many times through streaming that I finally bought it since the price is good. I don't like the way they are rude to the surfer, Troy, but otherwise, it's a good film with good screenplay. George Clooney plays an angry dad role and they have him run like a "dad". As teenagers, Shailene Woodley (Alex) and Nick Krause (Sid) play their roles well with spot-on acting. Judy Greer (Julie Speer) and Matthew Lillard (Brian Speer) have small roles but also nail the acting.

The Descendants is a 2011 American drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forste.Native islander Matt King (George Clooney) lives with his family in Hawaii. Their world shatters when a tragic accident leaves his wife in a coma. Not only must Matt struggle with the stipulation in his wife's will that she be allowed to die with dignity, but he also faces pressure from relatives to sell their family's enormous land trust. Angry and terrified at the same time, Matt tries to be a good father to his young daughters, as they too try to cope with their mother's possible death.If I was asked to draw a diagram illustrating the speed at which ‘The Descendants’ moves it would look like a horizontal line. This may seem like something worth complaining about, but it goes to show that ‘The Descendants’ knows what it is about at all times. It meditates peacefully and perpetually on the edge of a plateau and refuses to rely on bells and whistles to be engaging for its audience. It neither flies or falls and is instead anchored by a strong sense of stoicism and poise. Additionally, this does well to illustrate the cycle of monotony that Matt wraps himself inside of and successfully portrays him as a person that is easily punctured by calamity and change. Over time this leaves us to wonder if his environment is a product of his insecurities or if they are perhaps the cause of them in the first place.It is easy to get caught up in the cinematography given that this was shot in Hawaii. To some this is almost a shallow attempt at appeasing audience members that have a soft spot for gorgeous scenery, but its almost distracting nature means something much more in the larger scheme of things. This beauty is ultimately a façade and a perfect representation of Matt’s grotesquely limited worldview. As the plot develops the smoke screen that he hides behind is slowly removed and casually takes us on a journey of self-reflection and heavy-handed reconciliation. Bits and pieces of interactions in which Matt recognizes him as being more like characters he originally wants very little to deal with teaches a very valuable lesson: that the world is much more complicated than the experiences that are most personal (and perhaps even unique) to us.When comparing this film to the book it is based off of it is fair to say that justice to the source material is served in abundance. The film largely depends on its characters to paint a larger picture and encourages its audience to form their own opinions about Matt’s wife in passing; In contrast to this, the book gives Elizabeth more of a voice through Matt and provides more insight as to why some of her choices were made, and the fact that this isn't replicated on screen isn’t the least bit surprising. I could point the finger and say that this could have been achieved through a series of brief flashbacks, but I also understand how this could have easily caused some well-intended railroading in practice. In addition to this, the book goes into greater detail regarding the thought process behind some of Matt's decisions, and this is again something that can be fairly difficult when translated on screen. At the end of the day both the book and the film are a commendable and colorful illustration of loss, forgiveness, and the gentle reminder to stop taking the small things for granted.If being perfectly transparent I would say that my rating of this film would be a 3.75, and this is only because I'm not in a hurry to watch it again. The ending overall leave much to be desired but it begs a very important question for those of us that have a passion for analyzing and critiquing films: why are we, both casual and formal viewers, always asking and demanding for more what is mostly excitement from films? While you are all busy contemplating this thought I will just end by saying - ‘The Descenet’s has an authenticity to it that deserves all of the praise and recognitions awarded to it.‘The Descendents’ doesn’t act like a kite without handles, but is more like a fishing rod that lays in wait for potential viewers. Some will circle around the bait and see it for what it is, but others will willingly take a bite and risk being hooked. Regardless of whichever of these two options seems like the greater description of you I will just end by saying -I would more than happily recommend this film.

At several points in the movie the image became very distorted due to a defective disc. I have seen this movie several times before though because my gf loves this movie and forces me to watch it. We all know how that goes fellas. It's not a bad movie, it's very slow though and not really my style but I do what I gotta do to earn those bf points. I bought this to replace her DVD copy and it was on sale for $7.99 which is a fair price. My gf gives it a 5 and I give it a 3.

G

Humorous Family movie,

Un Georges Clooney, comme je ne l'avais jamais vu. L’homme perdu comme tous sans leur pillier la femme !Comme on le dit toutes, un homme sans femme est perdu, et le mariage tue l'amour cache bien des choses.................sans s'avoir, car même le travail acharné de "l'homme «qui se pense indispensable, passe a côté de beaucoup de chose, les enfants qui grandissent, la femme qui en a raz le bol d’être une potiche dans une maison après tant d'années de mariage. Et quand la catastrophe arrive, l’homme n’est finalement rien ! et doit se reconstruire autour de ses enfants qui en savent plus que lui, et de ses amis qui eux avaient les yeux ouverts.Personne,je dis personne n'est à l'abris de cela,a voir absolument

This film has won several Academy and Golden Globe awards, so this must be a good film, right? Well, that depends on which of the three categories of people you fall into.This is not a film with a plot that is action packed. In fact, the film covers just few days following a fatal accident by the wife of George Clooney's protagonist, and how he and his family copes with the tragedy. Just like in a real life, there is not much drama for the most part. But once in a while, life challenges you to live up to be who you really are. Like, dealing with the hostility of your father-in-law, dealing with a repugnant boyfriend of your teenage daughter, and dealing with the revelation of your wife's infidelity from your daughter just when you are up to your neck with coping with your wife's impending death. At heart, this film is about a man who, through the tragedy of losing his wife, comes around to taking responsibility as a father and keeping his family from breaking apart. Clooney is brilliant as ever, but a major surprise was to see a newcomer, Shailene Woodley, playing a teenage daughter who, over the course of this film, grows up and be supportive of her father in coping with the events as they unfolded. Reminiscent of Debra Winger in her early years, this young actress is to be watched in future films. It was also a delight to see Judy Greer, whom I first noticed in Three Kings and What Women Wants; it is a mystery why she has remained underappreciated for a long time, as her acting has always been memorable despite being minor roles.So, if you are one of these fortunate people who have no problems in life, and are just looking for a couple of hours of entertainment, then this film may let you down badly. However, if you are at a stage in your life where you are grappling with the issue of being a good father, or just being a good man, then this film will give you things to think about long after you finished watching this film. A question I kept asking myself was, "would I be able to behave in the way Clooney's character did?" and to be honest, I fear I would do far worse. In this regard, this film is similar to Alexander Payne's another poignant film, About Schmitt, which posed an uncomfortable question whether at the end of your life you would come to regret the way you lived your life. For those of you who want to avoid regretting about these things when it is too late, then this film is for you. I am in this category so I gave it 5 stars.Oh, and for those in the third category, the die-hard George Clooney fans, forget about all these accolades the Academy, BAFTA and the Golden Globe have bestowed. Just watch this film, you won't be disappointed by his delicately restrained performance.