Deviation Actions
So I saw The Descendents.
And I thought it was pretty good.
The direction by Alexander Payne is understated and simple, but he gets strong performances out of his actors, and he shoots the scenery of Hawaii wonderfully. The screenplay is equally simple and understated, coming together smoothly and softly.
George Clooney's performance is stellar, a far cry from the confident, got it together guys he's best known for playing. Here, Matt King isn't suave or sexy, just a simple man trying to deal with a complex and daunting emotional trial. But Clooney plays it with grace and subtlety, and for that, I give him praise.
Shailene Woodley's performance is also quite good, especially since, on paper, her character could have easily been the stereotypical bitchy teenage girl. While she's certainly that at the beginning, over the course of the film, she softens and reveals a gentler, softer person underneath. She's not a saint, and has her share of character flaws though, which the film doesn't ordain or condone, but she still comes across as sympathetic.
Everyone else, as I said, turns in good performances. There are times, however, that I wonder why certain characters and plot threads are there. For instance, the boyfriend of Shailene Woodley doesn't really service the plot beyond offbeat comedy relief, and the subplot of Matt King selling family land and how it connects to his wife's infidelity is a tad unnecessary. It could have easily just focused on him dealing with his wife's unfaithfulness and impending death, and been just as good, if not better.
In the end however, it's still a good film. Might not be ground breaking, but it's got heart, and handles the subject matter well.
I give it a 4 out of 5.
And in case you're wondering, yes, I believe The Artist's victory was entirely justified.The Artist is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece, while this, while certainly a solid film, is still very much normal.
EDIT: I think a core reason I give this 4 instead of 5 stars is because, the music consists almost entirely of Hawaiian songs. It's not that I don't like Hawaiian music, but honestly, there are many instances where the music (especally the weird, warbly vocals) distract from the emotional core of a scene. The simple, gentle acoustic guitar instrumentals would have worked considerably better then the use of the songs.
Might just be a personal thing though.