Dueling reviews: The Descendants almost hits gold

The Descendants offers mild entertainment.

Anytime George Clooney is on the big screen these days, millions of fans flock to the theaters to see America’s heartthrob take their breath away. Clooney’s latest movie, The Descendants, isn’t his greatest movie, but the film does provide some solid entertainment, a couple chuckles, and a few tears.

Matt King (Clooney) is a wealthy lawyer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the start of the movie King’s wife gets in a boating accident and is in a coma. On top of dealing with his wife’s condition, Matt must also deal with his off the wall 10-year old daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller), and his rebellious 17-year old daughter, Alex (Shailene Woodley). Rounding out the cast is Beau Bridges as King’s cousin Cousin Hugh who, with the rest of King’s family, is trying to sell their massive inheritance off for millions.

The plot is fairly straightforward and not exactly groundbreaking. The movie relies heavily on its characters and performances. Clooney does his usual good job, though it’s certainly not his best. Miller and Woodley, who portray the two daughters, do a great job and definitely steal some scenes away.

The movie, which was shot in Hawaii, offers some great scenery that is, at times, breathtaking. The pacing of the movie is decent and logical, though there is not a nice neat package at the end, playing into the realism the movie focuses heavily on.

    Overall, The Descendants isn’t a typical comedy or drama, but rather one of those off-key independent-esque films that have started to clog theaters in recent years. There isn’t anything particularly special about this one, save for a few charming moments. It makes for a good one-time viewing, but nothing beyond that.