review - The Descendants

Sistahs, if you worried about how G(e)orge-ous Clooney would weather, post fatherhood, middle age, a thickened waist … allow me to be the harbinger of good tidings! Mr. Clooney is one of life’s miracles – an eternal hottie!
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, there is some bad news too – for all the dads out there! Starting out as the clueless, well intentioned, almost absentee dad, who is constantly baffled by his daughters bindaas attitude & lack of fear of authority, meaning him; to a hands-on, sensitive parent, in Matt King, played by Clooney, director Alexander Payne creates a father, who sets the bar really high, for all papas! Every young girl is gonna walk out of the theatre, wishing GC was her dad!!!
But don’t get me wrong – sure, George Clooney simply astounds in "The Descendants", with the sensitivity & simplicity, with which he plays a broken husband, dealing with a wife in coma & discovering she was cheating on him & having to come to terms with the reality of being a single parent; but the fabulous ensemble cast enhance this Oscar nominated role!
Most impressive is the 17 year old daughter, played with remarkable maturity by Shailene Woodley, as the 17 year old, who is burdened by the secret of her mother’s affair. A personal favorite of mine was her inappropriate boyfriend, who just attaches himself to the family, is beaten up by her grandfather & somewhere along the line, gets accepted! Kudos to the little daughter, with her dark interpretation of her mom in a coma & for making your heart melt, when she breaks down, while saying goodbye to her mom!

The icing on the cake is Hawaii - so divinely beautiful, I am sure, many from the audience, would have gone straight from the theatre to their travel agent & booked themselves one way tickets to this ‘paradise on earth!’
Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” & “About Schmidt” were great films – awesome casting (remember Jack Nicholson & the oh-so-talented, but underrated Paul Giamatti?), great direction, fabulous performances, lump in the throat moments … but I must confess, for my personal taste, a tad dark, gloomy & pessimistic; With “The Descendants”, Payne takes a joyous leap & gives the audience the perfect movie experience & yes, that ‘they lived happily ever after’ ending!