The theme of a dysfunctional family is rather tired in Hollywood. So why should the audience go for "The Descendants," the latest movie from Alexander Payne?
The ode to Hawaii may fail to convince, but fans of George Clooney should find much to enjoy in his yet another but more refined reprisal of the everyman.
Matt King (Clooney) is entrusted with a massive plot of land in the archipelago's Kauai island, thanks to his roots that hark back to a Hawaiian queen who married a Caucasian American. His wife falls into a coma after a motorboat accident, and his two daughters are out of control even before this event.
With the extended family pushing to sell the estate and disconnected children to take care of, his hands are full. He has to tell all of his and his wife's friends that she will die in a few days time. Then, his discovery of his wife's extramarital affair snaps him at last, and the unlikely journey to find the other man ultimately bonds the family back together.
The trademark Payne script of brutal honesty is always a joy to watch, and members of the supporting cast, especially Shailene Woodley as the first daughter Alexandra and Nick Krause in the comic relief role of Sid, impress.
A suggestion for Clooney, were he to play another similar role in the future, is to switch more than just his costume to fit the surroundings, in this case a Hawaiian shirt. His effortlessly perfect and timeless hairstyle starts getting in the way.
While the readers of this newspaper should not encounter this problem, it must be noted that the film suffers from horrifyingly amateurish subtitles, which immeasurably detract from the feature heavy on words.
In theaters Feb. 16. Runs 115 minutes. Rated 15 and over. Distributed by 20th Century Fox Korea.
Three stars out of four.