We've been hearing an awful lot about The Descendants in the news. It was filmed on Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai starring George Clooney. They say he deserves an Oscar nomination.
We went for the 11:30 AM matinee and there was a LONG line outside the theater. We went home. We went back at 2:15 PM and was happy to see that there weren't as many people.
Here's a little synopsis from Roger Ebert:
The first problem I had was to forget that was George Clooney on the screen. He had to look more like an average Joe. Well... average Joe, but really wealthy, land owner of Hawaiian ancestry type Joe who is haole and doesn't speak the local dialect.
It is a testament to Clooney's acting ability that I was able to forget that he is a suave, super gorgeous movie STAR. He did a fabulous job of making us believe that he was a tortured soul having to deal with a horrible situation. I thought Shailene Woodley who played the part of the older daughter, Alex and Nick Krause who played her boyfriend, Sid created wonderful supporting roles.
Critics have said that Hawaii is the other starring character in this movie and it sure was. Hawaii looked great, but it also looked more real. I've always thought that the color in Hawaii 5-0 appear enhanced. Everything seems to sparkle. In this movie, Hawaii is what it is. Granted most of the movie centers on the more wealthy parts of the island.
However, putting aside the fact that this story is about a wealthier society family in Hawaii, the feelings, situations, family life are very universal. We go through the journey with this family and ache with them. We also laugh and care for them.
We left the theater feeling good about having gone to see it and judging by all the people who stayed to watch the credits, I think we all did.
We went for the 11:30 AM matinee and there was a LONG line outside the theater. We went home. We went back at 2:15 PM and was happy to see that there weren't as many people.
Here's a little synopsis from Roger Ebert:
"The film opens with his thrill-loving wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie)
in a boating accident off Waikiki Beach. Matt has been involved in land
management; he holds the controlling share of his extended family's
estate. Elizabeth has run their own family, raising their daughters: the
teenager Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and the younger Scottie (Amara
Miller). Now Elizabeth is in a coma, and her living will instructs Matt
to remove life support. Alexandra returns home from boarding school, and
Matt becomes a single parent while also dealing with the King family's
urgent desire to close the multi-million-dollar land deal."
The first problem I had was to forget that was George Clooney on the screen. He had to look more like an average Joe. Well... average Joe, but really wealthy, land owner of Hawaiian ancestry type Joe who is haole and doesn't speak the local dialect.
It is a testament to Clooney's acting ability that I was able to forget that he is a suave, super gorgeous movie STAR. He did a fabulous job of making us believe that he was a tortured soul having to deal with a horrible situation. I thought Shailene Woodley who played the part of the older daughter, Alex and Nick Krause who played her boyfriend, Sid created wonderful supporting roles.
Critics have said that Hawaii is the other starring character in this movie and it sure was. Hawaii looked great, but it also looked more real. I've always thought that the color in Hawaii 5-0 appear enhanced. Everything seems to sparkle. In this movie, Hawaii is what it is. Granted most of the movie centers on the more wealthy parts of the island.
However, putting aside the fact that this story is about a wealthier society family in Hawaii, the feelings, situations, family life are very universal. We go through the journey with this family and ache with them. We also laugh and care for them.
We left the theater feeling good about having gone to see it and judging by all the people who stayed to watch the credits, I think we all did.
