So. Child actors. They're typically kind of crappy, right? Really, until the Culkin clan arrived, were there any reliably decent child actors? Sure, every so often you would see a kid in a role that suited them well, but for every Oscar nominee, there were about a dozen Young Ron Howards. Even today, we seem to have only one or two impressive child actors each decade, and are still cursed with an unfortunate amount of Jake Lloyds and Jonathan Lipnickis. Every so often, awards programs find a child actor that they decide to fawn over, and Beasts of the Southern Wild was this year's choice. Before you sit down to watch this film, you should ask yourself: Am I prepared to watch a movie about a six year-old girl? Hint: you should be.
Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives in part of the Louisiana bayou called The Bathtub. This is a community that lives on the wet side of a levee, with no roads or electricity or government or just about anything you would expect to find in an American community. Hushpuppy lives with her daddy, Wink (Dwight Henry). Well, they live by each other; each one has a dilapidated trailer, propped up by debris so they don't flood.
But they still make sure to wear matching clothes every day
Wink and all the adults in the Bathtub are usually drunk, and when Wink vanishes for a few days, Hushpuppy --- a six year-old --- doesn't make a big deal out of it and takes care of herself. In case you were wondering, that involves eating cat food as part of her every day living. Existing outside of society can't last forever, though. The aftermath of a hurricane (I'm pretty sure it's Katrina, but it could have realistically been any of the six that have hit the area since then) ensures the intervention of the civilized world, and Wink's declining health complicates matters. Still, if you're going to find a silver lining, having a child narrate your story is as good of a start as you can get. There might be one slight stumbling block for that happy ending, though: namely, this nightmare beast:
What? You don't know an auroch when you see one?
Beasts of the Southern Wild is the first major directorial effort from Benh Zeitlin, as well as the first major motion picture developed by any member of the Court 13 collective of filmmakers. As far as directorial debuts go, this is a pretty good one. Zeitlin captured a subculture in America that has rarely (if ever) been captured before. In a Google Earth world, it can sometimes be astounding to see what exists within the borders of the "civilized" world; in some ways, this movie feels like it is taking place in an anthropological nature preserve.
Look, a porcupine house, in its natural environment!
Zeitlin's camerawork starts out annoyingly shaky, thanks to the hand-held nature of it, but evened out as the film progressed. By the end of the film, I was more impressed by the stark shots more than the nauseating beginning.
It's like Mad Max: On Water
What impressed me most, though, was how well Zeitlin handled the talent. There are no seasoned actors in this film. What you see are raw amateurs at work. But Zeitlin makes them work, and work extremely well. Wallis gave a pretty good performance for a six year-old, but her voice-over work was inspired. The fact that Wallis looked so good --- and she definitely did --- is in no small part thanks to his editing.
The difference between this and awesome: voice-over
Speaking of the editing, I really liked how Zeitlin handled edits from a storytelling perspective. Just take the scene where Hushpuppy recalls her mother --- that scene made me giggle with joy from a film fan's perspective. It wasn't flashy. It was just perfectly effective for what it needed to be.
The big story with the acting in Beasts of the Southern Wild is Quvenzhané Wallis, and justifiably so. The movie focuses on her, and she carries it with ease. I do not typically hype child acting, but the overall affect of her performance is staggering here. From a strictly "acting" perspective, Wallis was pretty good. She emoted and seemed to do what the scenes required of her.
Above: not really acting
The voice-over she provided, though, just killed me. That is the backbone of this film, and she was heart-breakingly good when you combined those two elements. I would argue that Zeitlin deserves more accolades than Wallis for her performance, but the bottom line is that she was pretty great. It helps that Dwight Henry gave one of the rawest performances I can remember seeing. I can't imagine his part being played by someone with more polish, though. Henry played a complex character well, conveying his love, terror, and pride in surprisingly deep ways.
Who's the man? I'M THE MAN!!!
One of his more out-of-left-field effective scenes was in the "Beast it" scene, where he initially appears inexplicably abusive, but it eventually turns into a triumph orgy. The rest of the cast, while numerous, doesn't really impact the story at all, so I'm leaving them out of it.
In may ways, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a sad bastard movie. It is designed to make you cry, and it probably will make you tear up. This culture appears to be living in a dump AND a 200-year time warp at the same time. Just making a documentary about these people and the pride with which they live their lives would have been heartbreaking. When you add in a small child narrator and a dad character with health problems, that sadness is a foregone conclusion.
It's just too heavy for Superman to lift
BUT. BUT. BUT. Thanks to the sad bastardization of the story, there is also a silver lining. That child narrator also provides a touching amount of innocence and hope to a story that could have just been Requiem For a Dream-depressing. That little bit of innocence --- and this is not exactly a movie that wears rose-colored goggles --- makes up for a lot of otherwise hopeless moments. I wouldn't go so far as to call this movie "uplifting," but it doesn't suck the life out of you, despite the subject matter. This may have been one of the lesser-known Oscar nominees this year, but it was certainly deserving. The acting was impressive and urgent, the direction was smart, and the story was unlike just about anything else in theaters this year.
No other film mastered the art of Farmstock Fones
The only missteps this movie makes are fairly big ones. First and foremost, the foreshadowing of the aurochs never pays off. I get it. The aurochs symbolize fill in the blank. They are pointless and clumsy in the big scheme of things. They could have been completely omitted and affected the emotional and story arcs not at all. I also would have liked more time in that strip club, because that scene had much more potential than it got to display. In short, if the aurochs thing actually had a payoff, this movie might have been great. As it is, this is very good, with a few heavy-handed moments (the aurochs) that would have been better spent elsewhere (at the strip club). It is still very effective and worth seeing.
This is the song I had stuck in my head while reviewing this movie. I think it's pretty apt.
So what's the big deal about Argo? Aside from the fact that it sounds like something a pirate might say, I mean. Argo is one of those movies that wears its "based on a true story" claim as a badge of honor. There are two types of movies that push claims like that: movies that want to be capital "I" Important and movies that are so unbelievable that they have to legitimize themselves by pointing out that the unbelievable sometimes actually happens. Which is Argo? A little from column A, a little from column B.
When the American embassy in Iran was invaded in 1979, there were six embassy employees that managed to sneak out and avoid being part of the Iran hostage crisis. They weren't able to leave the country, though. Every Westerner (or, I guess, anybody looking American) was closely monitored and security in and out of the country was multiplied. The six escapees managed to find shelter with the Canadian ambassador (Victor Garber), but they couldn't go anywhere or do anything, or else they would risk becoming hostages and probably being executed. To make matters worse, circumstances (or the plot) dictate that the escapees have to leave soon or not at all. That's where Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes in. When all other half-baked, dumb-ass ideas for getting those people out of Iran appear doomed for failure, Tony comes up with something ambitious and outlandish --- although it is still a pretty awful idea.
These are the faces of men smelling shitty ideas
Tony wants to pass these six people off as part of a film crew, because everyone knows that Hollywood is full of complete jackasses who eat up stupid ideas, like filming a movie in we-have-American-hostages-era Iran. Like all cover stories and identities, this needs to be able to pass the sniff test in case anybody doubts their claims. That means that Tony needs to create a fake movie.
"Should we make a Reindeer Games or Gigli joke?"
To do that, he needs help from some Hollywood types (John Goodman and Alan Arkin) to convince Hollywood that a terrible science fiction movie called "Argo" (that should be filmed in Iran) is actually in production. If they can convince Hollywood, they should be able to convince Iranian militants, right? Once all that is done, all they have to do is confidently sneak six Americans out of the country while lying their asses off. Piece of cake.
"Hello, do you have any unmonitored or under-guarded ways out of this lovely country?"
Argo is definitely the work of an ensemble cast. Ben Affleck is on all the posters and gets the majority of the acclaim for this movie, thanks to his direction, but there are no star roles here. Ben Affleck is good and understated as a CIA operative that specializes in getting people out of bad places. While he is the main character, the star of this movie is the plot, so all of the actors are basically playing character roles. This is probably my favorite Bryan Cranston movie role to date, if only because he had multiple dimensions. John Goodman was clearly having fun lampooning Hollywood, but the best supporting actor in this cast was definitely Alan Arkin, who...well, I guess he did more or less the same thing as Goodman, but crankier. They were both fun to watch and helped balance out the rest of the film, especially with their "Argo fuck yourself" bit. The rest of the cast was made up of recognizable actors in uncomplicated or tiny roles. Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, and Zeljko Ivanek all lent their presence to this movie more than any particular acting skills.
Look at this crap. They haven't even memorized their lines!
It is nice to see Chandler getting work in high-profile movies, but he (and Bryan Cranston) needs meatier roles to show off his talent. Of the six not-hostages, Scoot McNairy was the only one that actually developed as the movie progressed. Of course, that was because he was the obstinate jerk character, but I still thought McNairy was pretty good.
Argo is the third movie directed by Ben Affleck, and the first one set outside of Boston. This is also his first attempt at something that isn't a crime story. Affleck's biggest impact on Argo is the sense of urgency. The pacing in this movie is excellent, especially in the second half. That is remarkable, considering that this is, at its core, a movie about people waiting to go to the airport.
THRILLS ABOUND!
It's hard to gauge how well Affleck directs the actors, since this movie is so plot-driven. I guess he was fine in that regard, since everyone played their parts decently. The other aspect of the film that I was impressed with was the production design. Granted, it can't be that hard to re-create 1979 in Hollywood, but the side-by-side comparisons between the real-life people and places and the stuff in the movie was eerily accurate. Attention to detail is important in all movies, but realizing just how much effort went into duplicating every single thing on the screen made me wonder what little things I took for granted in this film.
The actual magazine ad for "Argo" in the Hollywood Reporter
Argo is a tense, funny, and generally entertaining film that has a little more gravitas because it is based on true events. How accurate is this movie? With a few minutes of research, I would say "fairly," with most of the liberties being taken for pacing reasons. I've seen and heard a few comments about the subject matter of Argo (with the least nutty objection coming from Daniel Tosh), and I see their point. Why make a movie about the six people who were not held hostage and tortured? Probably because the US and Canada didn't team up to fake a goofy movie as a means to sneak out the 50-odd hostages. Argo is a good movie, and is one of the better true-life adaptations I have seen in a while. It is missing performances that will draw me back to it, but I am now fully on board with Ben Affleck (the director).
If you're interested in the back story on this script, it appears that comic book legend Jack Kirby did a number of concept drawings for the movie-that-never-was. Cool stuff.
Saturday the 13th isn't quite as good as Friday the 13th, but this was the most appropriate day I could fit in a Friday the 13th movie review (P.S.: it's my final one! I've got a complete set now!). On the surface, the notion of Jason Voorhies in space sounds like a desperate gambit, destined for failure. And it is. The only reason this movie ever happened was because Freddy vs. Jason was stuck in development hell, and the production company didn't want to risk their property falling out of the public's awareness. It was set in the future --- and space --- so as to not interfere with the franchise continuity, just in case FvJ opted to make use of that history (SPOILER: it didn't). Still...this is the tenth Friday the 13th film, and it is one of the few, the proud, the incredibly stupid --- the horror sequel set in space. Maybe the sheer audacity of doing something this dumb will redeem Jason X.
Jason X is an important film, not only because it is the tenth entry in a film series --- how many films can boast that claim? (four, actually) --- but also because it teaches us important lessons. The film opens in the Crystal Lake Research Facility, because research facilities are typically built in the same area as remote Summer camps. There, we meet Rowan (Lexa Doig), a scientist heading a team that is researching Jason Voorhies (Kane Hodder). Everyone knows about how Jason was captured by the government; they "executed him for the first time" in 2008, remember? He just won't stay dead, though. In 2010, Rowan plans to freeze Jason for further study, but David Cronenberg wants to do something stupid that inevitably leads to Jason getting free and having himself a blood orgy.
"Blood Orgy" would make a pretty solid Cronenberg title
The details don't matter. The important thing is that Rowan and Jason wind up being cryogenically frozen. In the year 2455, a group of students is on...um...a class trip? An archaeology expedition? A weak excuse to move the plot forward? Whatever. They find the two Popsicles and bring them on board their spaceship. Rowan is thawed out first, and her immediate thoughts returned to keeping Jason dead-ish. Her worries are immediately dismissed because she's only the person they found with their unknown subject. Some unknown stimulus does the impossible and brings Jason back from the dead.
The "unknown stimulus" is cadaver table romance?
Being a ruthless zombie murderer that has feels no pain still makes for a fairly efficient killer, even in the distant future. However, it's only a matter of time until future technology outclasses this machete-wielding maniac. Of course, that's assuming that Jason can't keep up with the times.
Goalie masks: still fashionable, even in 450 years
The acting in Jason X is better off not being mentioned. Let's just say that it's campy at best and amateurish at worst and leave it at that.
It's possible this guy doesn't even list this movie on his resume
James Issacs directed Jason X. He didn't try to make the characters too likable, or make the spaceship look good. His focus was on violence and campy humor. How successful was he?
Well, one fantastic kill can't carry an entire horror movie (...Or can it? Let me know if you have a good example), but that is easily one of my all-time favorite death scenes in this franchise. The rest of the violence isn't as creative or graphic, but Jason was certainly prolific; I counted twenty-four kills, with several more implied off-screen. That's a pretty high body count, but that doesn't guarantee entertainment. To increase the likelihood of Jason X being fun to watch, the writer (Todd Farmer) and director teamed up to make this the campiest and silliest Friday the 13th yet. Was it actually funny? Well...here and there.
"We love premarital sex!"
There are a few gags that worked quite well. My personal favorite was the premarital sex girls/sleeping bag death scene. It was predictable, but still great. I also liked some of the more knowing dialogue; I don't usually like it when a movie has characters that comment on the action, but the potentially annoying observations were surprisingly solid in Jason X. James Isaacs and Todd Farmer deserve some credit for making this as watchable as it is. Even with all the parts that made me chuckle, there were a lot more moments that were just eye-rollingly lame. Take this scene, for example:
It's humorously violent, it has characters making commentary, and is filled with over-the-top ridiculousness. When done correctly, that should make for an awesome scene. This one...it's not bad. I might even go so far as to call it "pretty good." But it doesn't quite work. There's some absolutely silly moves from the lady, some mediocre one-liner comments, and Jason looking confused while he gets blown to hell. It's fun, but it feels a bit forced.
There is a problem with the way I approached Jason X. Since this is the tenth freakin' Friday, and it is set in space, I instinctively treated it with kid gloves; since I went in with such gloriously low expectations, minor accomplishments like occasionally competent dialogue seem far more valuable than they really are. It's like applauding a toddler for pooping in a toilet --- we expect that of most people, but the bar is set pretty low for these kids because we know they're crapped themselves so many times before.
Look! Jason's distracted by my amazing simile!
If you go into Jason X with absolutely no preconceptions, this will be a pretty bad movie. If you walk into it knowing that it's going to be truly idiotic and violent, though, it's shining moments will seem like pure gold. Is it any good? Surprisingly, it's only slightly more than half-bad.
If you're looking to laugh, though, there is enough Lefty Gold to power several drinking games.
Of course, some of the best moments in Jason X are not related directly to the story at all. Here's a handy list to help you pick out some of the choicer moments of conceptual humor:
- Jason still has his gross old clothes and mask. Think about that for a moment. Jason had been captured by the government for several years and they tried every way they could imagine to kill him. And yet, the scientists never replaced his shitty clothes or hockey mask. For that matter, the fact that Jason is able to easily get his hands on a giant-ass machete just goes to show that the Crystal Lake Research Facility is probably not the high-end, respectable place that the name implies.
- Students in space are always ready for sexy time. I have no problem with characters in horror movies acting sex-crazed, since that's one of the characteristics of slasher movies. I was surprised by how much skin was showing while these students were working on corpses.
Midriff- and shoulder-baring sweaters are actually part of the dissection uniform
- Hockey is on its last legs. According to Jason X, which we can all agree is a historical document, hockey will be outlawed in 2024. Sorry, Canada, you only have twelve more years to live for.
- Machetes are medical tools in the future. 'Nuff said.
I was interested in The Cabin in the Woods from the moment I saw the poster at the movie theater. I've always wanted to see a Joss Whedon horror movie, and his co-writer/producer credit here is as close as he's gotten to a classic horror film (unless you count Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I don't). After a strong recommendation from Judas Pato, I had planned to catch it in theaters, but life got in the way and I waited until it was on Blu Ray. The only reason I was simply "interested" in this movie and not "pee-my-pants excited" was because co-writer/director Drew Goddard had never actually directed anything before. Like, at all. On the one hand, it's not like you have to be a veteran director to make a good horror movie, but a little experience never hurts, right?
Cabin in the Woods starts out the way you might think it should. A group of college coeds are heading off to a remote cabin to enjoy a weekend of drugs, alcohol and sex. There is the jock (Chris Hemsworth), the slutty vixen (Anna Hutchinson), the stoner (Marty, played by Fran Kranz), the smart guy (Jesse Williams), and the virgin, Dana (Kristen Connolly).
You know, your average group of twentysomethings that are actually probably thirtysomething
Only...none of them actually fit those cookie-cutter molds. Except Marty, because he is high as a muthafucka, or (as I like to call it) "awful roommate high." These kids start out as well-rounded characters, but something just seems to change when they get out of their RV and spend some time in the cabin. Granted, it's a creepy old cabin. It's a little scary from the outside, but it has all sorts of mounted animal heads on the wall, and this picture in one of the bedrooms:
This is what you hang in the bathroom to subtly discourage guests
Things get even stranger after the group pokes around in the basement. There, they find a number of curious objects, including a diary. When Dana reads an inscription from the diary aloud, it awakens a family of hillbilly zombies from the grave. Will these innocent coeds be able to fight off this undead terror? Actually, surprisingly, that's not a big issue. The better question is why are office workers monitoring everything going on in and around the cabin? And what kind of a monster is Kevin?
"I'd rank him above the angry molesting tree, but beneath the dismemberment goblins"
In case the whole office-drones thing didn't clue you in, The Cabin in the Woods is not your typical horror movie. It is, however, extremely aware of typical horror movies. Specifically, horror movie tropes. I'll get more into that in a bit, but it should be pointed out to the curious that this is a love letter to the horror movie genre.
If this image doesn't whet your appetite, you may want to try Saw XIII
The acting in The Cabin in the Woods is pretty solid. The hottest actor in this cast is probably Chris Hemsworth, and it was nice to see him play an everyday sort of guy. It was odd that his character never seemed to let go of his football (Remember, he's the jock!), but Hemsworth played his part well and showed that he can deliver witty dialogue. He wasn't the main character, though. That responsibility falls on Kristen Connolly, who was simply likable. She didn't really stand out to me, but I never disliked her character and I thought the part was played well. The standout in the cast was Fran Kranz, and he turned in one of the best stoner performances in cinema history. He looks and talks kinda like Shaggy, but he had the best lines and delivery in the entire film.
"Like, zoinks!"
Speaking of actors who know a good line when they read it, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford brought the B-plot to life. It should be no surprise that these guys work well with witty dialogue, but it never hurts to say it out loud. One of the nice things about this cast, though, is that they all had the benefit of a pretty clever script, which made otherwise dull roles a bit more fun to watch. Amy Acker definitely benefited from that, as did Anna Hutchinson and Jesse Williams. And, hey, Sigourney Weaver had a solid cameo, too. Really, it didn't matter how many dumb things they were required to do as part of the script; they all knew what to do with the lines they were given.
Although not having Hutchinson sing "Oh, Wolfie" was a missed opportunity
I gave the script a lot of credit for how enjoyable the actors were in The Cabin in the Woods, and I don't think that can be overstated. I am a big fan of Joss Whedon's quip- and pop-culture-heavy dialogue, and Drew Goddard has a history of working on Whedon's TV shows; when you factor that into my love of horror movies, it's pretty obvious that I am the target audience for The Cabin in the Woods.
I would rent the hell out of that cabin
It's not just the dialogue, though. There are a ton of references and homages to horror movie cliches, and they're all funny --- the "let's stay together/let's split up" bit was priceless. And those weren't even the funniest parts! I almost fell off the couch when the Japanese subplot was resolved with a happy frog. And the list of names on the betting board...! There are so many instances of pure gold in this movie that I wanted to do an old-timey prospector jig!
Even better than those little tributes was the way that the script justified the actions of your typical dumb horror movie. That. Was. Brilliant. There was one notable omission, but I'll touch on that shortly...
Okay, so I liked the acting and writing of The Cabin in the Woods. How about Drew Goddard's direction? He did almost everything right. The production values were excellent. This movie felt like the same amount of attention went into a detail that was on-screen for a split-second as went into the main characters.
Meet Fornicus, Lord of Bondage and Pain, and star of maybe 3 seconds of this film
The action in this movie looked good, the editing was spot-on in terms of maximizing comedic potential. The cinematography was...well, it was fairly standard, but I won't hold that against him. The important thing is that he was able to tell a story, a surprisingly complicated story, in a way that made sense. I'm sure that the story falls apart a little if you watch with a more critical eye, but there was more than enough polish for me to not notice. My main gripe with Goddard's direction is that there were no scares in this homage to horror movies.
Cool monsters, yes. Scares, no.
It felt like the entire focus was on being clever --- which was done quite well, admittedly --- which left the true scares no room to grow. Even when there was a kill that was well-done, the frequent cutting to the office drones commenting on the next trope robbed The Cabin in the Woods of any sense of suspense or drama. I actually liked the main characters of this movie. That never happens in horror flicks! If you are going to develop these characters, I don't see how you can choose not to make their fates dramatic.
How does this scene not lead to horror gold?!?
That's really the only negative feedback I have for The Cabin in the Woods. This isn't supposed to be as comedic as Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, but it also has fewer legitimate scares than Club Dread. These three films have a lot in common (good scripts and gore, for instance), but The Cabin in the Woods is waaay smarter and is technically better in almost every way, except slapstick humor. And yet the movie seems to outsmart itself at times. I would have loved to jump in my seat at any point instead of laughing very hard when Thor rides his motorcycle. For as much as I enjoy this movie --- and rest assured, I will be buying it and re-watching it many times --- I was left a little disappointed by the complete lack of horror. Maybe I won't mind that lack the next time I watch this, now that I know what's in store, but for now I can only say that it's a lot of fun to watch.
Alexander Payne is not the sort of writer/director who makes iconic roles for his lead actors; he's the guy who gave Jack Nicholson a comb-over in About Schmidt. He doesn't necessarily need star power to make a quality film, either --- he made an Oscar-winning film with the villain from Big Fat Liar and the dumb guy from Wings. His movies are consistently surprising in subtle ways, usually thanks to good use of humor in otherwise sad stories. The Descendants is designed to follow suit; there are certainly some funny moments, but this is a film that wants the audience to feel (sad) things.
Matt King (George Clooney) is a lucky, lucky man. He is independently wealthy, runs a successful law practice, was born and raised in Hawaii, and has a fun-loving wife and a pair of daughters. Unfortunately, keeping himself busy with lawyering has led to a strained marriage and a self-described role of the "back-up parent" in his family, but nobody's perfect.
He owns this land. Poor Matt!
The Descendants begins with Matt's wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie), in a coma, as a result of a boating accident. Now, you may be wondering when the humor is going to kick in, but there are some laughs in this film, I promise. Matt learns from the doctors that his wife is only getting worse, and she is now a vegetable; in accordance with her living will, Elizabeth is going to be removed from life support and is going to die. Ha ha! Get it? Comedy! Matt now shoulders the burden of breaking the news to his rebellious teenage daughter, Alex (Shailene Woodley), his socially inept younger daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller), as well as their friends and family. He starts with Alex, because she's older and theoretically more mature, but she has a surprise for Matt: Alex reveals that her mom was having an affair, just before the accident. Matt's initial reaction is to awkwardly jog and look old.
But he can't run forever (or even briefly, at least not well); he has to be a rock for his kids. No matter how furious Matt is, he will never hear Elizabeth defending or explaining herself to him; he will forever be left with unanswered questions. And now he has to be around friends and family that are going to ramble on and on about how great she was, while trying to find the right way to break the bad news to little Scottie. Oh, and Matt also has the burden of being the key player in a huge real estate deal that will forever change the face of Hawaii, and the rest of the players are his extended family. Granted, these are definitely all first world problems, but these are trying times for Matt King.
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding George Clooney's performance in The Descendants, and it is well-deserved. Clooney trades in his omnipresent charm and cool for some very believable awkwardness and grief.
Pictured above: grief
What makes Clooney so impressive in this role is that it is almost entirely made of small choices. A story with a wife having the plug pulled should, by all rights, be a saccharine-sweet hankie-fest, but Clooney handled his character's grief in a very realistic fashion, and was not afraid to be funny, even amidst all the stress and sadness. I've seen every movie Clooney has been in over the past decade (except, oddly, Up in the Air), and this is easily the best performance of his I have seen. To be perfectly honest, I expected him to be good here, but I was pleasantly surprised by his two daughters. Amara Miller was surprisingly funny and owned the most heartbreaking moment in the film. Shailene Woodley was even better as the most believable teenager I think I have ever seen on the screen. I thought the alternately strained and supportive relationship she had with Clooney was believable and sweet.
Yeah, I've been on the receiving end of that glare before
I was also happy with the rest of the supporting cast. Nick Krause was initially irritating comedic relief, but his role turned out to be complex and Krause handled it well. Robert Forster was fun as Elizabeth's grieving --- but still an asshole --- father and Beau Bridges was likable as Matt's business-minded --- and kind of an asshole --- cousin. Established comedic actors Rob Huebel and Mary Birdsong turned in some quality supporting dramatic roles. Even actors that normally bug the crap out of me, like Judy Greer and Matthew Lillard were surprisingly effective.
Alexander Payne made a lot of interesting choices when making The Descendants. Despite setting the film in Hawaii, there isn't as much time devoted to showing off the beautiful location as you might expect. I was also surprised that a two-time Sexiest Man Alive winner, Clooney, is never really shown as a dapper or typically sexy man in this film.
Sexiest Man Wearing a T-Shirt on the Beach Winner
There are a lot of little things like that in The Descendants. You might expect gorgeous cinematography, and there are some pretty cool shots, but Payne concentrated on capturing layered emotions. The performances all stand out in this movie, once again proving Payne's talent with ensemble casts. The Descendants might not be a film that comes right out and grabs you, but its subtle quality definitely grew on me. This is some of the most satisfying emotional filmmaking in recent years, and it doesn't feel overly manipulative or calculated.
My only problem with this film is the whole real estate subplot. It does tie into the larger and far more enveloping main story, but it just never seemed very important to me. As much as the film strives to make George Clooney into an average, over-his-head type of guy, the land deal just served to remind the audience that this is a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars and chose to be a workaholic absentee father to his children, and probably a sub-par husband to his wife. The ultimate resolution of that subplot does serve as a sort of gauge for determining his character's development and how his values have changed, but I wish that subplot had been scrapped in favor of more quiet moments of family unity.
Simple, but effective. But who leaves their feet uncovered?
The Descendants is still a very, very good movie that rings true on many levels. Clooney gives a great performance, the supporting cast was lovely, and Alexander Payne once again made a quiet and touching film that packs a few surprises.
