The Descendants

Julie and I watched Alexander Payne's The Descendants last night. (Right, I get it, I am a little slow on the draw when it comes to watching and reviewing movies.) It is the best movie I've seen in some time. I will go so far as to say it is an extraordinary film.

However exceptional the dramatic elements of the story, I can't shake the feeling that the life and family of Matt King (played by George Clooney) is increasingly unexceptional. The extraordinary elements of the story revolve around Matt's lineage (he is a descendant of King Kamehameha I), potential however unrealized wealth (he and his family are trustees of hundreds of acres of oceanside Kauai property), and wife (she is in a coma after a boating accident). Everything else is rather mundane--he works too much, doesn't know his two daughters, is estranged from his wife (learning early she was unfaithful), and generally qualifies for "Worst Father of the Year".

What sets the movie apart (perhaps in the same way that The Beaver did last year) is hope. The movie ends hopefully. We can actually believe that Matt is going to get his act together, care for his daughters, and be a good dad. He might even experience joy at some point.

Here in the western 'burbs, I run into more and more families who are not unlike the King's (aside, of course, from the direct lineage to a king part and enormous wealth)--parents overwhelmed and working way too much; kids sullen and withdrawn, rebellious and confused; marriage falling apart; young kids coping with impossible situations (how does an eleven year old cope with their parents' divorce?); no clear values; a desperate kind of "hanging on" but no ability to articulate what they are hanging on to (career, some generic sense of "family", what?). Ultimately, there is no perceptible joy or peace. Not really even hope.

The climax of the movie (at least for me) was Matt saying goodbye to his wife. Forgiveness was the harbinger to Matt's hope and peace. Sounds very, very familiar...