Paradise?

The Descendants, starring George Clooney, had many plaudits and was generally well received by everyone who saw it. Personally I thought it was good, but not ground-breaking.

The story is about a man living in Hawaii who has to build upon his relationship with his kids after his wife is left in a coma after a speedboat accident. Sounds cheery doesn’t it? Well it’s not as grim as it sounds; in fact it’s pretty uplifting and heart-warming in parts.

Matt (Clooney) starts off the movie barely knowing his own daughters, 10-year old Scotty and upper-teenage tearaway Alex; I don’t know why they have unisex names, they just do. As the movie goes on the trio end up bonding in strange ways from taking revenge on an estate agent who’s slept with Matt’s wife to long car journeys with Alex’s friend Sid – who is a complete idiot.

Sid is one of those characters who don’t exist in real life, well at least I hope not. He’s been made out to be so dumb that I’m fairly sure he’d have trouble spelling out his own name. However, he’s not a bad character, he does his job as comic relief reasonably well. Whether it be saying stupid things or being punched by an old man, he is decent value.

As he comes to terms with his wife’s demise and as he continues to build upon his relationship with his daughters, Matt also finds himself in the position as head guardian of a plot of land his family has owned for generations. It’s worth millions to his family but will he sell it? Well I suppose you’ll have to watch the movie to find out!

The Descendants was nominated for five Oscars in the end, most notably for Best Actor (Clooney) but it only managed to win one for best adapted screenplay. The fact is there were better films than it, but that’s not to say this movie doesn’t deserve its praise; it’s a fun and heart-warming film and Clooney really is quite good. I think I’m becoming a fan…

This movie is very much worth a watch and if nothing else it’ll make you want to visit Hawaii… I must look up flights.

Final Verdict: 4 Stars. A great human drama set in paradise.