91% The Descendants

All Critics (135) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (123) | Rotten (12)

One of the year's best films, a bubbly meditation on family and responsibility that weighs just enough to matter.

With so many balls in the air the temptation is to rush from one plot strand to another, but Payne takes the opposite approach. He also captures the complexity of emotional reactions that grief stirs.

It's a lovely, heartfelt character study of common, everyday people trapped on the horns of an uncommon but not unheard-of dilemma.

The latest exhibit in Payne's careful dissection of the beached male, which runs from Matthew Broderick's character in "Election" to Jack Nicholson's in "About Schmidt" and Paul Giamatti's in "Sideways."

This mature, well-acted dramatic comedy is deeply satisfying, maybe even cathartic.

A tough, tender, observant, exquisitely nuanced portrait of mixed emotions at their most confounding and profound -- all at play within a deliciously damp, un-touristy Hawaii that's at once lush and lovely to look at.

Well-acted and touching with a mild eye for human foibles, this is one of the better-written films of the year.

What's so special about Payne's approach in The Descendants is how acutely observed and subtle the movie is, especially since the previews are selling it as a broader, more absurd comedy.

If you see The Descendants, see it for Clooney (and Woodley), but don't believe the hype that it's one for the ages.

A lot of The Descendants is affecting, but its mushier tone is often less emotionally resonant than the bitter sarcasm of Payne's earlier work.

This unforgettable movie succeeds by making audiences feel like a part of the family. Clooney knocks it out of the park with a marvelous performance. Woodley makes a strong bid for a supporting actress nomination. The supporting players are all given...

Here's where I am right now: The Descendants is the best movie of 2011. It is the movie of the year, in many ways beyond its simple superlative overall excellence.

(Clooney) is at the top of his game in his scenes alone with the comatose Elizabeth. Asking questions that are unable to be answered, his pain at his loss and her betrayal is heartbreaking.

Audiences will argue about whether it's a comedy or a drama, but they'll agree they saw a wonderful film.

The Descendants finds Payne, now 50, having arrived in midlife with a new maturity, eschewing solipsism and snickers for a deeper engagement with the world.

Clooney has never been better, displaying more range and less actor-ego than ever before... The Descendants would still be a splendid movie without him; with Clooney, it's one of 2011's very best.

It's good, but far less than you'd expect from the guy who started his career with the gleefully provocative Citizen Ruth and Election.

In the hands of writer-director Alexander Payne, Clooney has rarely seemed so much at home.

There are ample opportunities for the film to soak in pathos, righteousness, farce, or pictorialism, and Payne manages to nod at those pitfalls without falling into them.

An emotionally ennobling film that wears its compassion on the sleeve of its ugly Hawaiian print shirts.

Payne displays a knack for both perfect casting and using his lead actor in sometimes unconventional, unexpected ways

Director Alexander Payne prefers to start a movie with one strike against him. He always picks a dislikable protagonist... Then, as he slowly gives characters self-awareness, he gives us reasons to watch and care about them.

In playing an everyman stranded between anger and duty, Clooney earns an emotional payoff that a lesser actor would simply demand.

An introspective and heartwarming film, unafraid to convey its story with pleasing simplicity.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_descendants_2011/

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