The Descendants

**SPOILER ALERT** – When I'm supposed to experience a family crisis along with the main character, I don't want to be sighing over Hawaii. George Clooney certainly delivers his performance to the fullest (even though the role of a well-meaning father doesn't really suit him), but this bumpy journey is ultimately disappointing. It's the supporting characters, led by the unsympathetic idiot Sid and, above all, the screenplay that are to blame. I can't engage in suffocating depression when a few seconds later I'm supposed to laugh at absurd situations, and I certainly don't enjoy watching a story that keeps going and going – and doesn't end. Matt doesn't come to terms with his wife's death or infidelity in any way, he merely functions in order to be there for his daughters, and five minutes before the closing credits he whispers the obligatory "Goodbye". It's only thanks to Clooney's brilliantly conveyed emotions that a third star also washed up with the tide. Unfortunately, Alexander Payne's approach to thought-provoking drama is once again not for me. (2012-02-01)

I would have expected a story with this theme to be emotional, but I didn't feel any emotion for the entire duration of the movie. Perhaps the cumbersome and rather clichéd approach contributed to this. I wasn't too impressed by the occasional overacting of some of the actors, perhaps only George Clooney portrayed his character very believably and without unnecessary affectation. Judy Greer irritated me the most with her acting. (50%) (2022-10-23)

A solid relationship drama, with the novelty of Hawaii at the forefront, delivering a surprisingly distinctive, considerably relaxed atmosphere that contrasts with a tense story about a dying mother and a dysfunctional family. Alexander Payne has reinvented the world with Shailene Woodley, so thumbs up for that, and George Clooney plays his typical likeable character with aplomb. It's a shame about some of the expected second-rate twists, but it maintains good diction in key scenes thanks to a conversational script that's pretty polished. For the author of the renowned Sideways, this may not be entirely a coincidence, but his main weapon. (2016-04-11)

The slow, depressing undertones of simple contemplation of important life values, with an excess of unconcealed emotions and interpersonal warmth. Which is indisputably the greatest certainty of Payne’s films. However, he did a respectable job with the given material, which would have tempted many other filmmakers to engage in (even) greater affectedness.  The film preserves its sense of detachment in relation to the supporting characters, whereas it is more accommodating toward the leads than they deserve.  Of course, I doubt that the members of the Academy will take the same cynical attitude. 70% (2012-01-10)

"Hello, it’s Clooney. You know, death is not an easy thing, especially when you have two healthy children, millions in your account, a house in Hawaii and a woman who cheated on you with a real estate agent because she was bored..." - "I know, George, but don't call me anymore..." Therapeutically toothless and an emotionally instant product that is numb and unable to admit that the true dignity of death in the film looks a little different than this messy warm road movie, which absolutely lacks anything bitter and realistic... I'm sorry to have to write this, but Clooney is a bit of a contemporary Jekyll and Hyde - on the one hand, a shrewd critic of contemporary society, on the other hand, an engineer of human hearts in the service of capitalist realism. Despite a couple of nice scenes (Clooney's dialogue - daughter in the pool or the scene with the wife's friends), I don’t really get The Descendants, just like Up in the Air. I don't think everything is OK in a film where, in the potentially strongest father-daughter dialogue, the father is replaced by a family therapist. Not even with the world that is impressed by this. My battle. (2012-01-10)