Movie Review: The Descendants

If the Oscars (or moviegoers) are looking to take the family tearjerker route this season, The Descendants is an obvious choice.  Not only does it star George Clooney who, let's face it, is wonderful in just about everything, but it tells a genuinely compelling and heartfelt story, tragic without veering into melodrama. 

The story centers on George Clooney's character Matt, whose wife has slipped into an irreversible coma after an accident, and who must also make a huge decision which will have a life-changing impact on both his career and his family.  This of course, is made no easier by his rebellious teenage daughter (played by the surprisingly fabulous Shailene Woodley, who I'll get to in a minute), his rebellious younger daughter, and the small revelation that his wife has been carrying on an affair behind his back.  Cue a family journey (both literal and metaphorical) that is at times wacky and a times truly heartbreaking, as Matt and his daughters set out to try and locate his wife's paramour while simultaneously trying to navigate the arrangements surrounding her impending death.

Cynical as it may sound to say, I find that many films or television shows involving someone in a coma (and most especially anything featuring scenes of characters talking to the person in a coma), has about a 95% chance of coming off completely cliche and ridiculous.  This film somehow manages to subvert that, and in spectacular fashion.  By the time Matt actually makes it to his wife's bedside,  there is a tension that has accumulated which can't be relieved in any other manner.  The film's final scenes provide an extremely powerful catharsis, which is all the more affecting thanks to a cast of characters who demand a genuine empathy from the very first minutes of the film.

Let's get to the acting, though, because that's what people are really buzzing about when it comes to this film.  Clooney is wonderful, multi-faceted and surprisingly convincing as a family man in emotional turmoil.  I still think Ryan Gosling gives a better performance in The Ides of March, but having to settle for Clooney as a close second really doesn't feel much like settling at all.  Shailene Woodley is the film's biggest surprise, though, not least because her biggest claim to fame prior to this was a starring role in ABCFamily's nonsensical Secret Life of the American Teenager.  It is easy to see where she could have defaulted to playing the stereotypical caricature of the wayward daughter, but instead she brings something deeper to the role, something that evokes sympathy and indeed (at least, in my opinion), paints her as the heroine of the film. 

On the whole,  this film tells a great story of one family, while also exploring the larger theme of what it means to be a descendant, to carry on a legacy and what that means.  I think for this reason it is not only likely to earn awards for its stellar individual performances, but for the story itself.  The combination of these elements makes it a top contender, in my opinion, for an award for screenwriting as well as a strong candidate for Best Picture of the Year.

Movie Review: The Ides of March

This is by far the most outstanding film I've seen this year.  All the elements are in place, and it is clear that George Clooney and company are not fucking around this time.  They are gunning for an award (or ten), and this movie makes an absolutely compelling case that they deserve one.

First, let's talk about the fundamentals.  This is one of the most well-written movies I've seen in a very long time.  I honestly don't remember the last time that thought rang so thoroughly through my mind while I was in the midst of watching a film, but it did this time on several occasions.  The script does a brilliant job of plowing right into the meat of the plot, no time for dumbing-down or explanations.  Words are rarely, if ever, wasted in this script, and the various twists and turns are set up with such careful precision that they are unexpected and yet completely logical.  No one is going for sheer shock value or flash here, just plain good storytelling. 

The cast of this film is impeccable, starting with the supporting players.  Phillip Seymour-Hoffman and Paul Giamatti play campaign advisers on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but who both have the same brand of sleaze just oozing from them.  Both play their parts perfectly, giving the audience a simultaneous disgust for their tactics as well as a dull appreciation for their cleverness.  Evan Rachel Wood also has a surprisingly impressive turn in this film as a young intern working on the Mike Morris (the character played by Clooney) campaign alongside Hoffman and Ryan Gosling.  She is perfect in this role, and it is far and away the best performance I've ever seen from her.  And of course, George Clooney plays the handsome, good-natured politician in a part it seems he was born to play.  Though his performance as Morris is somewhat understated (though no less compelling for that), his influence on the film is pervasive, not merely in credit (he directed, produced, and co-wrote the film), but in style.  It is clear that he has pushed everyone, including himself, to be their very best in this film.

And speaking of performers at their best.. no one is more on top of their game in this movie than Ryan Gosling. It is possible that I actually have too many good things to say about Gosling's performance in this film.  I have said in the past that he gets better with each film he appears in (well, the serious ones, anyway), and Ides of March does nothing to disprove this theory.  Gosling's character Steven goes on an incredible and nuanced journey in this film, and capturing the essence of his transformation would be a challenge for any actor, but Gosling makes it look effortless.  And his success in this role can't even be attributed to the fact that he's got a fabulous script to work with; I'm convinced a deaf person could watch this film and read the story in Gosling's face and eyes, and leave with the same overwhelming sense of awe as those of us who could hear his lines.  What is even more impressive is the fact that, among this all-star cast, Gosling genuinely stands out.  He plays well off of all the other actors, but none more so than George Clooney-- they have a confrontation in a kitchen near the film's climax that will just about blow your mind--and Gosling comes out the stronger performer of the two, which is no small feat. 

Overall, this film is everything I've come to want from an Oscar contender.  Actors turning in the performances of a lifetime; a thought-provoking and intriguing script; and perhaps most importantly, a story that is startlingly relevant to our current state of affairs.