I thought this was Alexander Payne's best since Election. Just an excellent movie on every level. The performances are across-the-board fantastic. A

I dug the Sid character in general, but the bit where he laughs at the grandma's Alzheimer's seemed so out of place. He's a big dumb stoner, cool, fine, I can buy it. But I don't buy he's so out of touch he would be around this family he knows is in crisis and straight up laugh at a frail old woman.

Review: http://www.worldofkj.com/article.php?i=517

This is going to lose Best Picture, though. Those Up in the Air comparisons made by Magnus were, alas, spot-on. It'll do well at the box office, win over the upscale adult crowd, etc. But it'll be a tad too intimate, too melancholy, too small in scope to survive the fierce awards season. People will start being all, "I don't know...it's nice and all, Clooney is great, but is it BEST PICTURE worthy?" Then a more dramatic cinematic experience type deal, such as The Artist or War Horse, will sweep in and dethrone it.

I can't wait until this opens here Friday! I think I'm probably going to see it Saturday.

The Descendants is good, but I agree with some of the general consensus right now that it shouldn't be the frontrunner for Best Picture. George Clooney is good as always and Shailene Woodley along with Judy Greer both give worthy supporting roles. The writing is good as well. It just didn't give me the wow factor I expected and like others have said to, films like Up in the Air felt like they had more of a chance to win. Still, it is a very strong story and acting and it should still be seen. ***1/2

My favorite movie of the year. A sublime, totally authentic movie that never once veers into melodrama or sitcom. Alexander Payne has always been one of my favorite filmmakers, and The Descendants is just as good as his last three superb films (Sideways, About Schmidt, Election). The way Payne paces the film is just about perfect; despite the heavy subject matter, the film has an oddly calming, ethereal effect to it (probably something to do with the beautiful Hawaiian scenery). In my humble opinion, this is George Clooney's finest performance to date. It's a beautifully rich and nuanced role, and Clooney delivers in spades while also shedding the charismatic persona he has played in other roles before. He is complimented by a superb supporting cast, particularly Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller as the daughters. Although Woodley is best known for a certain ABC Family show of questionable quality, she instantly cements herself as an actress to watch here with her forceful performance. The rest of the cast is strong too, although I was particularly taken with Judy Greer, who does a fabulous job in a fairly small role. The Descendants is simply a wonderful film about family, and one that takes the oft-popular "dying family member" storyline and spins it into an entirely different take on the matter. A

Definitely a top 5 movie for me so far this year and my 2nd favorite Payne film behind Election. Starts out a bit talky but really hits hard the rest of the way

The scenes with Elizabeth's body as the centerpiece are haunting aesthetically

A great movie and definitely me favorite performance by Clooney. The scenery in the movie was amazing as well. I still like Election more, but a great movie overall.

I don't think it can take best picture though.

A-

Like the flowers strewn through the credits, The Descendants is lovely but frail. It's easy enough to watch and listen to, but once it's over there are more than a few flaws. For instance, the the narration is well-written enough to sound great, but structurally it's very lazy exposition that disappears entirely once we've been properly introduced to Clooney's character. As has been noted, some of the lines really don't ring true - no doctor would ever say "we need to start thinking about the organ transplants" while informing someone their partner is dying.

Yet despite these uneven moments at acidity, the film feels curiously toothless at points. I think that the infidelity aspect of the story is extremely well-handled, but the family material less so. The resolution in particular is both toothless and undeserved. I can see why one could feel like Clooney announcing his decision about the land to his family would be superfluous, but it's also a missed opportunity. Likewise, was having the youngest daughter being told about her mother's death, when everyone else has been told already, and by a fucking consultant no less, really the best resolution they could give her?

For the record, Clooney is excellent as ever, a real movie star. Whether expressing anger, sadness, sentimentality, or resentment, he's perfect. It's just a shame the rest of the movie is so uneven.

I almost loved this, almost. So close. I left a little disappointed considering all the buzz around it. George Clooney was great and he does deserve the Oscar for his performance. Shailene Woodley and Judy Greer are both very good, neither nod worthy, IMO. I agree the more you think about it, the more flawed you find the movie is. Still, it was very entertaining and it was a nice movie to watch with your family around the holidays (well, the family members old enough, anyway). Also, I saw this with my best friend, her two parents and her 14 sister. Her 14 year old sister LOVED it, she liked it, one parent said it was ok but slow and the other hated it. I'm surprised it's getting such great WOM, honestly. Still though, it is very good and like I said, I almost loved it. I tried to. I wanted to so hard, but it just missed the mark.

8/10

You know, this was a very nice movie. Really enjoyed it. But didn't find it to be anything special. Clooney is really good, though he could play this role in his sleep. It doesn't really stand out from the performances he's already given. Shailene Woodley was great. And I loved Judy Greer. Wish she had been in at least one more scene. She was just too good.

I don't have much to say about it. It's a funny, enjoyable movie. Not one of my favorites of the year though.

B+

I kind of feel like About Schmidt is brutally hard hitting but almost too much to be enjoyable to watch, and the Descendants is enjoyable to watch but doesn't have enough layers. A little of About Schmidt in the Descendants and a little of The Descendants in About Schmdit could've made both perfect. About Schmidt is definitely better overall though

The cushy Hawaiian milieu the Clooney character and his family call home (despite the "fuck paradise" narration) acts as a slight barrier, I feel, whereas About Schmidt was set in perfectly drab suburban Nebraska. A world of posh bungalows and exclusive beaches vs. one of anonymous offices and flat roads and split-level homes and Applebee's. Because of this, just on a very basic level, About Schmidt feels heavier, more poignant.

And I feel Warren Schmidt is just a slightly better written, more nuanced character than Matt King.

The Descendants
Awesome movie. Loved every minute of it.
A

1. Sideways A
2. About Schmidt A
3. The Descendants A-
4. Election B

This is the second best Payne film, IMO. Election is an A/A+, this is a B+, Sideways was a B-, and About Schmidt was in the C range.

I fucking hated the voiceover. What a supremely lazy way to get across a character's emotions and state-of-mind without having to do any work.

I feel much the same way about the rest of the film as I do about most of the BP nominees: utter apathy. At least Shailene Woodley is cute.

Its a decent family drama/comedy.


Nothing Oscar worthy but solid film.

B+

The best movie I've seen this year, Woodley is to die for.
I agree the exposition is weak and lazy, and after 10 minutes in I was fuming because the voice-over had disappeared and I HATE it when movies do that. The rest of the film's so damn amazing I just don't care at all.