The Descendants
2011
****
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Amara Miller, Patricia Hastie
There's trouble in the Hawaiian paradise. A wealthy Honolulu lawyer must deal with the imminent death of his wife who is on life support, reconnect with his two daughters, and decide whether to sell his family inheritance to property developers. It all sounds rather familiar and sentimental, and it is, but Alexander Payne keeps it all wonderfully bittersweet. His family drama is funny, sad, and messy like real life. George Clooney gives one of his finest and warmest lead performances, but the entire cast is great. The Academy Award winning screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.
