Review: The Descendants

December 14, 2011

The Descendants by Alexander Payne, adapted from a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, is a heartfelt portrait of a man in middle age who learns about himself, his family, and the beauty around him when his wife falls into a coma after a speedboat accident.

George Clooney will be leading the awards parade for this one, and he deserves it – so does the supporting cast, and so does Alexander Payne, not just for the drama, but for his look at the entertainment mall that Hawaii’s become. No doubt some of that comes from the original novel – but not too much.

For a link to the movie trailer, click here.

About the Author

David D'Arcy is an internationally known film critic and art reviewer. He writes for The National and Screen International online, is a U.S. correspondent for The Art Newspaper and a contributing editor to Art&Auction.

One Comment

Molahanor December 30, 2011 at 2:33 am · Reply

Compartmentalizing the direction of great directors like The Coen Brothers, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuoron, Gus Van Sant etc.