Movie Review: The Descendants

From the first scenes of The Descendants I knew I wouldn't like it. Something about George Clooney's "serious" face and the clunky voice over.

But I wanted to see what the fuss was about so I stuck with it. As I watched I made a mental list of the things I liked and the things I didn't.

I liked:

* The Hawaiian setting - the real Hawaiian setting, the suburban life of it rather than the glamourous, holiday backdrop.

* The boyfriend, Sid. Without a doubt the best written character in the film.

* The somewhat unconventional take on a horrific family situation: like reality these things are often odd, funny, awkward and terribly sad all the same time.

I didn't like:

* Almost everything about George Clooney. He really is an overhyped actor and should possibly stick to seducing bimbos and saving Dafour. ER was his finest moment.

* The most awful product placement in the history of product placement: the beautifully positioned Coke can in the one genuinely sad scene in the entire movie.

* The whole land sale scenario. I could have told you five minutes in how that was going to turn out. The whole middle class redemption theme makes me sick.

Overall I would say see The Descendants if you have nothing else to do but don't go out of your way; it doesn't have anything interesting to say and it doesn't do it in a particularly interesting way.