The Descendants

Alexander Paine follows up his masterful 2004 Oscar-winning comedy Sideways with this feel-good comedy that misses the bullseye of that movie, and is as tonally off-target as the rest of the director’s work.  George Clooney narrates and stars as an indifferent husband abd father who must reexamine his life when tragedy hits.  Indifferent is the key word here--there is nothing to care about in this film. The stakes feel small, the relationships feel generic, and moral conundrums are, well… indifferent.  There are some bright spots though:  Clooney gives his usual solid performance and Shailene Woodley is winning as his rebellious teenage daughter. The father daughter dynamic rings true and is the saving grace of this picture. The plot devices are kind of fun except for the ones involving the big “decision” Clooney has to make--which doesn’t feel big at all. This is a mildly good film that anyone should feel free to skip.