The Descendants (Sam)

SAM'S RANKING: 9 out of 10

When people hear the word "Hawaii," they think of the ideal version of paradise--sun, beaches, ocean, palm trees, a place for families and couples, or people just want a break from life. But "The Descendants" doesn't feel like it's set in Hawaii. That's because it focuses more on the people than the place, and because the people are just average, ordinary Americans, they could be living anywhere.

The "ordinary American" at the center of the story is Matt King (George Clooney), a Honolulu-based lawyer and father of two who owns 25,000 acres of land on Kaua'i that has been passed down in his family for generations. Since the trust is about to expire, he has decided to sell the land. But first Matt must settle problems within his family.

His wife, Elizabeth, is in a coma after a boating accident, and we mostly see her in her comatose state in a hospital bed. He has two daughters: 17-year-old Alex (Shailane Woodley) and 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller). Scottie knows way too much for her age; she harasses her classmates, throws out some offensive name-calling, and even flips off a couple of people during the course of the film. Alex attends a boarding school after a history of drugs, and is drunk when we first meet her. Matt isn't close to either daughter, leading to miscommunication.

Matt learns that Elizabeth will not wake up from her coma. He breaks the news to Alex, and then Alex drops a bomb of her own: Elizabeth was cheating on Matt. The rest of the film is devoted to Matt trying to find Elizabeth's lover, decide the fate of the land, understand his wife's depression, and reconnect with his daughters.

"The Descendants" is a film about a dysfunctional family with real problems. It works because it is not overtly depressing; like many films nowadays, it throws in some unexpected humor to give us a break from this difficult subject matter, while still managing to pack the appropriate emotional punch. In some ways, it's also unconventional; some of the usual trademarks that are associated with this type of film are not present in "The Descendants," but I'll let you figure them out for yourself.

There are so many great scenes in "The Descendants," thanks in large part to the performances, particularly by Shailane Woodley as Alex. She is at her best in three or four scenes, in which Alex's feelings of anger and disdain toward her family are revealed. It is an injustice that she did not receive an Oscar nomination for her performance. Clooney is less believable; there are several scenes where we feel like we're watching George Clooney, not Matt King. Nonetheless, he does have several strong moments, and his Oscar nomination was deserved.

However, "The Descendants" is far from perfect. The character of Sid, an immature friend of Alex who tags along with the family, at first seems to be in the film for comic relief, and ruins several potential moments of emotion. Later, Matt discovers what Alex sees in Sid, and Sid becomes less obnoxious, but we still wonder what purpose his presence in the film serves. Also, profanity is so overused in this film that it takes believability out of some parts, although in other parts it is necessary.

But something about "The Descendants" makes you want to see it again. It's about real people with real problems in a place considered paradise throughout the world. Yes, Hawaii is a nice place to visit, but in the eyes of Matt King, living there is like living anywhere else.