Film review: The Descendants (three out of five stars)

(PG) 115mins

Director: Alexander Payne

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller

I MAY be going out on a limb here but overall I found this film rather less than I was expecting.

It is being heralded for all kinds of awards and I can certainly see why George Clooney is in the queue for best actor.

But my initial reaction was one of disappointment.

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The theme of loss and ensuring that you leave behind something worthwhile are explored fully, but at times I felt the message was somewhat forced and overdone.

It may well be the case a second viewing might help reinforce the more positive parts of the film but some apects of the plot I felt took the obvious route.

Set on the islands of Hawaii, the story starts after Matt King’s (George Clooney) wife is seriously injured in a boating accident and left in a coma.

However, worse is to come for Matt following a startling discovery.

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He is also struggling to re-connect with his two daughters who relied entirely on their mother.

Add to all this, Matt has the final decision whether to sell off a family-owned beautiful piece of a nearby island or attempt to keep it for future generations.

It seems a bit strange, though, that the movie opens with Matt saying Hawaii has the same problems as everywhere else, as if to say this isn’t a film about a very rich guy on an island paradise.

Clooney holds the movie together, showing deep pathos and comic touches that quite rightly put him in the runing for an award.

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Full marks also go to his ‘daughters’ (Woodley and Miller) who have a lot of time in front of the camera.

It’s certainly a decent film - but a classic? I’m not so sure.

I’d say go and make up your own mind.

PS: For those who aren’t too keen on bad language, the PG certificate is for liberal use of one four-letter word.

Steve Payne

Screening courtesy of Cineworld Crawley Cineworld Crawley.

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