REVIEW: The Descendants

The Descendants (2011): Dir. Alexander Payne. Written by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash. Based on the novel by: Kaui Hart Hemmings. Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges. Rated R (Language). Running time: 110 minutes.

3 ½ stars (out of four)

Hawaiians, we learn from George Clooney’s opening voice-over, do not live in paradise. They are as susceptible to life’s woes as any mainlander; the backdrop for those woes is just prettier on the islands. The beautiful vistas certainly do little to assuage the problems facing Matt King (Clooney) in The Descendants and director Alexander Payne is adept at evoking the irony of the emotional anguish of people in comfortable clothes.

After a speedboat accident leaves his wife in a coma, Matt King is left to parent his two daughters, the ten-year-old handful Scottie (Amara Miller) and seventeen-year-old troublemaker Alex (Shailene Woodley). Matt has little idea what to feed the two girls let alone guide them through such a difficult time. Scottie is at the impressionable age when passing phases are difficult to distinguish from issues that may one day require therapy and Matt looks desperately to his eldest daughter for help. She is no more stable but claims she will be considerably calmer with close friend Sid (Nick Krause) around. Sid is a surfer dude dunce whose one-note – “Sup, bro?” – personality proves inappropriate more than once as he accompanies the family on hospital visits and a trip to the home of Matt’s father-in-law (Robert Forster).

On the other side of Matt’s family is a host of cousins and extended family members who are on the verge of making a major decision. The Kings, descendants of Hawaiian royalty, own one of the last undeveloped patches of land on the islands and are looking to sell the property before the trust dissolves in seven years. The family has whittled the prospective buyers (mostly developers interested in constructing hotels and shopping centers) down to one, Don Hollitzer (unseen in the film) but as the deed’s trustee, Matt ultimately gets final say. The decision weighs heavily on him as his cousins, led by Hugh (Beau Bridges), pester him for an answer.

All of this would be enough for Matt to grapple with but the film throws one more problem his way. His wife was cheating on him, he learns, a revelation that spurs an inter-island investigation into her suitor’s identity that takes up most of the film’s midsection.

Mr. Payne seems attracted to stories of men reaching a turning point in their lives (Paul Giamatti in Sideways, Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt and, to a lesser degree, Matthew Broderick in Election) and paints an empathetic portrait of Matt at this particular mid-life moment. Clooney is a wise choice for the role; he finds the vulnerability of Matt while still bringing to the character the charm that comes with being George Clooney. His ability to lead an audience through the array of emotional turns a film like The Descendants takes is one of his strongest assets as an actor. He shifts between moments of human comedy and more somber scenes with ease, building an authentic character along the way.

Those who have seen Mr. Payne’s previous works will be familiar with the way humor, tragedy and righteous anger mix and blur into one another here. This particular blend works because the film has a keen understanding of human interaction – the way we fumble over verb tense when talking about a deceased or dying person, or what personal information we choose to give out to our various levels of acquaintances. Even as the plot progresses in carefully controlled and even predictable ways, the details of the script (penned by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, as well as Mr. Payne) and nuances of the performances ring true.

There are also a number of gorgeously framed shots – and not just of those scenic shorelines which are, of course, captured in all their splendor – that bring to life the emotional world of these characters. Everything comes together in the final scenes, a series of pitch-perfect moments between family that brings the film to a touching and poignant finish. If the film perhaps grazes over serious subject matters with a decidedly light touch, it also does not cheat. Matt’s complicated situation is acknowledged as such and the characters, in the somewhat limited sketches of their personalities, act honestly and believably. The film does not strike a false or cheap note.

The Descendants is a crowd-pleaser in the best of ways. It presents us with a collection of likable characters whose troubles are given humor without sacrificing honesty. Hawaii may not be paradise but is as gorgeous and charming a place as any to sort out your problems.

- Steve Avigliano, 12/7/11

REVIEW: The Ides of March

The Ides of March (2011): Dir. George Clooney. Written by: George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon. Based on the play, Farragut North by Beau Willimon. Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright and Evan Rachel Wood. Rated R (language and some sexuality). Running time: 101 minutes.

3 stars (out of four)

In the months building up to a presidential election, the 24-hour news machine can feel so much like entertainment – politicians debate on live TV and commentators subsequently debate the candidates’ worth with sensationalized talking points and colorful graphics – that a film about the primary election process may almost feel redundant. Released in time to coincide with the growing media hullabaloo that marks the start of the 2012 presidential race, The Ides of March, a soapy political thriller directed by George Clooney, is less interested in the candidates of its fictional political world and the issues they discuss than the web of campaign managers and advisors who pull the strings behind the scenes.

At the center of that web for Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) is a talented young campaign manager named Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) and Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a campaign veteran and Myers’s boss. These two are responsible for getting the aforementioned media machine to work in Morris’s favor – that is to say, their favor – and ensuring a victory at the polls. Assisting them is a team of hard-working interns, including Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), daughter of DNC chairman Jack Stearns (Gregory Itzin).

The film focuses on a coveted primacy race in Ohio where Morris holds a tentative lead over Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell). An endorsement from one Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), a powerful figure in the Democratic Party, would all but seal the nomination for Morris. That is, unless Pullman secures Thompson’s support first.

Posing a threat to the Governor and his team is Pullman’s campaign manager, Tom Duffy (a wonderfully gruff Paul Giamatti), who has his eyes on Myers. He wants Myers to jump ship on Morris’s campaign and work for him, but Myers is an idealist. He believes in Morris. This idealism prompts the derision of Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei), a New York Times writer who pries Myers and Zara for leads about their campaign strategies. She reminds Myers that Morris is a politician like any other and dismisses his faith in Morris as little more than starry-eyed naiveté.

Clooney’s Morris is a bit of an idealized figure. A staunch liberal, Morris proclaims that he is not a religious man but believes in the people’s right to practice any and all faiths. He calls for an end to America’s addiction to foreign oil, for industry-minded emphasis on burgeoning technologies, and for a revised economic system that ensures Americans pay their “fair share” of taxes. He is a frank, good-humored, sane and reasonable man. He is, in other words, an utterly unelectable figure in anything resembling the real world. Morris is a sort of Übermensch for Clooney, a romantic vision of his ideal politician. The improbability that such a politician could ever make it as far as Morris does in pursuit of the Presidency is not addressed in The Ides of March.

This unlikelihood is not so important to the film’s success, however, because Clooney’s ultimate message transcends political partisanship. His focus is not on the warring ideals that are currently causing our political system to sputter and stall but on the even dirtier infighting between career-minded advisors.

In its second half, The Ides of March flirts with soap opera levels of blackmailing and dirty laundry, which serves both to widen the film’s appeal to less politically-savvy audience members while also limiting the credibility of its arguments. Clooney need not go to such overdramatic lengths to illustrate how American politics are driven by personal ambition, though such sensational additions do make for an exciting movie.

As a director Clooney is sharp and confident and he stays focused on his cold perspective of the political game. The film’s visual style complements this; steely grays and blues are offset by the red and white stripes that necessarily pervade the background of a given shot.

The cast, it should go without saying, is exceptional. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives lessons on how to command the screen with characteristic effortlessness, and the ubiquitous Ryan Gosling continues to make a strong case for being the most reliable star of his age. (Your move, Leo.)

So although The Ides of March is a more than capable film, executed with skill and efficiency, it is also a difficult film to embrace. Clooney presents an unforgivingly cynical portrait of American politics but offers little in the way of hope for the future. If one wants to stay in the business of politics, ideals must be compromised (or thrown violently out the window as the case may be). Such news should hardly come as a revelation to anyone; what we need now are some suggestions on how to improve the state of things.

- Steve Avigliano, 10/10/11

REVIEW: Up in the Air

Up in the Air (2009): Dir. Jason Reitman. Written by: Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman. Based on a novel by Walter Kim. Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick. Rated R (language and some sexual content). Running time: 109 minutes.

4 stars (out of four)

There’s a sense of exhilaration that comes with independence. Moving at your own pace, doing what you want to do, setting goals and accomplishing them without the help of others. Being on your own might be the only way to truly learn about yourself, to find your identity underneath the mess of personal, social, business and all other relationships. This philosophy is one shared by Ryan Bingham, whose motivational speeches encourage attendees to imagine their life in a backpack. The fewer things and people in the backpack, the faster you move. But there’s a blurred line between independence and loneliness not addressed in Bingham’s speech, and it is this line that Up in the Air examines.

Ryan Bingham, played with characteristic cockiness (or is it charm?) by George Clooney, works for a company that serves as the middleman for corporations across the country who seek to lay off their employees. Men and women like Bingham meet with the soon-to-be-terminated employees, inform them of their company’s decision and present them with a self-help packet of new opportunities available in life after the pink slip. Bingham has perfected his job to an art. He enjoys it. He loves the constant movement of traveling, informing us that he’s on the road over 300 days a year, and he’s a great talker. Bingham, from his brutal profession to his self-isolating ideology, has all the components of an immensely unlikable character, and yet we’re drawn to him, even admiring him for his calculated efficiency. Clooney’s casting is key and without it, the humorous asides, the self-congratulation and all of Bingham’s narration would fall flat. Director Jason Reitman understands the importance of casting a charming actor as his unlikable protagonist. Aaron Eckhart’s performance as a tobacco lobbyist in Reitman’s 2006 film, Thank You For Smoking, succeeds in making an otherwise despicable man a delight. Clooney’s performance isn’t anything new for him as an actor – Clooney knows a thing or two about turning up the charm – but the script allows for a more complex characterization than Danny Ocean. There’s truth in Bingham’s motivational speeches, but there’s more to him than his lecturing lets on.

These hidden layers start to reveal themselves with the help of Bingham’s two foils: Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a fellow corporate travel addict who presents the possibility to Bingham of finding a soulmate, and young Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a new employee at the company who steps on Bingham’s toes by suggesting the company go online to cut travel costs. Farmiga, whose fine performance in The Departed was overshadowed by that film’s stars, exudes a cool confidence in her early scenes with Clooney and gradually reveals real compassion. She brings more to the table than simply being the romantic interest by creating an honest portrayal of a businesswoman closing in on middle aged. Kendrick plays Natalie just under a caricature, balancing her ruthlessness with romantic naiveté as Bingham takes her under his wing to show her the ropes of the business. Jason Bateman proves himself reliable as always in a supporting role as Bingham’s boss, and character actors J.K. Simmons and Zach Galifianakis have memorable cameos as well in a scene apiece.

Much of the film’s success comes from Reitman’s style as a director. Every stylistic choice he makes enriches the themes and characters. He uses quick cuts as Bingham explains the packing process to emphasize his efficiency and moves the movie along at a brisk pace without sacrificing more tender scenes. Too often so-called “dramadies,” such as Up in the Air, treat the tone of a scene as falling in either the comedy camp or drama, and they lurch back and forth between the two genres until the movie ends. Reitman, however, understands the need to show how the two tones intertwine, crafting moments that are simultaneously humorous and poignant.

The film also makes good use of its soundtrack, using pop songs to underscore themes of travel and isolation. The opening title sequence, for example, pairs aerial photos with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ funkified version of “This Land Is Your Land” as a way of introducing Bingham’s pioneer attitude while providing an ironic introduction to corporate America’s industrialized land.

Some might argue that the film’s theme of downsizing and its topical references to a poor economic climate might keep the film from attaining a timeless status, but its emotional core remains the primary focus. Reitman creates a dialogue between Bingham’s backpack philosophy and the more romantic belief in the importance of building an emotional connection with another person. Up in the Air successfully gives us a capsule of our moment in time and shows us the humanity of it. And isn’t that what all films should do?

- Steve Avigliano, 12/30/09