Movie: The Descendants

Well it creeps up on you.

This is a good film.

Now I’m hard pressed to write anything, because No Spoilers.  It’s a good film.  It is worth seeing, but I’m trying to think when the right time is to watch it.  Probably not a family fun night movie, not a date movie.  Maybe when troubles are far enough away, and you want to touch some emotions. 

At first, I thought you should not see it, if these troubles are near in your life, i.e. not if your loved one is in the hospital.  Then I thought, maybe that’s the time to see it.  But maybe not, I don’t know. 

There are three documentaries in the extras on the DVD:  Everyone Loves George, Working With Alexander and Hawaiian Style.  They are summed up as “George Clooney is the perfect human being,” “Our director is a joy,” and “We had so much fun in paradise.”  It almost made me mad that they had so much happiness making this emotional movie.  But it’s hard to be mad in a island vibe.   

Note to Christians:  Religion is not a part of this story, but I don’t think the life choices made along the way would have been different.  Unless you think Christians wouldn’t have gotten into any messes in the first place.  This movie is rated R for language including some sexual references.  May I propose:  Strong language was made for these situations. 

Note to Conservatives:  You will probably be tempted to rant about preserving nature and death panels, but don’t miss the point:  family is important. 

SPOILERS:  Seriously, don’t read this until after you see it.  It is so good to let this story unfold without knowing what’s going to happen.  It’s a good film.  It will be worth it. 

SPOILERS:  So sweet and sour.  Bright island life as the setting for troubled waters.  This film should say, “Starring Hawaii,” because it sure would have been a different thing in any other state.  Almost makes hospice look inviting.  That’s one bright and clean hospital room, not with the dinge you usually can feel in a real hospital. 

I especially liked the hotel scene of the father talking at night with the boyfriend.  It seems like a superficial conversation, but the dumb thing pivots everything toward the right direction.  It dawns on us, why she brought him in:  he’s walking in the valley of the shadow of death too.  I wonder if she had supported him when his own parent passed away.  In the dark, her father opens to a connection with the boy and turns toward understanding his own daughter. 

Clooney (and the script) did such a great job of being real.  He lets the father-in-law go on and on without mentioning the flaws of his daughter, and you see him making that decision, probably a decision he has made many times before.  He is a flawed individual, but is turning toward the right path.  The kiss on the lips of the other wife is a good scene too. 

Now that I think of it, the film doesn’t go deeply dark very much, and the ending is happy-ish. 

Anyways, it’s a good film. 

 P.S. The first line of this post is, "Well it creeps up on you."  Creeps is not the best word.  I wanted to make a tide-like reference, i.e. rising water around you.  But "it seeps up on you," or "it neaps up on you," were not right either.