After a five-year absence from the big screen, writer/director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election, About Schmidt) returns in top form with this extraordinary dramedy about a family coping after a tragic boating accident leaves mother in a coma. George Clooney has never been better, here playing the father of two girls who must navigate this difficult new territory.

THE DESCENDENTS puts a spotlight on life in paradise with Clooney playing Oahu resident Matt King, an okay husband and father who's never really had to deliver much in those roles. As the trustee and major property owner in his family's large, untouched land holdings, he is under pressure to sell. Meanwhile his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) is in a coma after a boating accident; she'd previously asked him to pull the plug if her prospects were hopeless. Payne doesn't hide from this situation, presenting the comatose woman as a significant onscreen character. A major plot thread about the wife's newly discovered infidelity is masterfully woven in and out.

The cast couldn't be better. Clooney is not afraid to show flaws onscreen and Matt King is not only flawed, he's floundering. The actor doesn't miss a beat demonstrating his character's issues but still manages to make him oddly likeable. Woodley is a true standout along with the wonderful Judy Greer as Lillard's betrayed but vindictive wife. Beau Bridges is great as a cousin urging Matt to sell the family land and Robert Forster socks home a couple of great and deeply touching scenes as Elizabeth's father.

Production values are first rate and Payne's incorporation of some well-chosen Hawaiian music is a real plus. THE DESCENDENTS is that rare bird, moving, enlightening, funny and unapologetically human. It's one of the year's best pictures, one to savor and think about.


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