The Descendants (2011) Film 36/50

Yes, I've lost a little momentum with my movie screenings. I blame my thesis project. Sick of hearing that old chestnut yet? Yeah, me too.

But I finally got around to seeing The Descendants. I knew going into it that this was not going to be a happy-go-lucky-sort-of-film. And if you don't know that going into it, you will most likely find yourself severely disappointed in this film. Be prepared for some seriously serious drama.

The story is narrated by Clooney's character, Matt King, the descendant of Hawaiian Queen Liliʻuokalani and the sole trustee for his family trust that manages a ginormous plot of gorgeous, waterfront property in Kauai. He tells us right from the start that although he lives in a part of the world that most people consider "paradise," his life is just as lousy as everyone else's. And as we see fairly early on, his life is in fact pretty lousy: his wife is lying in a coma having nearly drowned in a boating accident, he has two unbelievably rude and hostile daughters, and fifty of his closest cousins are hounding him to pick a seller for the family's 25,000 acres as the rest of Hawaii glares menacingly at him for even considering an offer.

At least he has amazing hair.

I won't go too much into the details. I enjoyed this film; even if I felt the unbelievable urge to send every character under the age of 18 to boarding school. But the journey (both physical and emotional) Matt takes is worth following. Plus, there are certainly far worse ways to spend a few hours than watching George Clooney travel around the Hawaiian islands.