DVD Release – The Descendants

DVD Release – The Descendants March 14, 2012

Bottom Line: Incredibly acted, achingly honest, and brutally sad, this Best Picture contender will make you tear up.

The Gist: George Clooney is Matt King, the head of an extended wealthy Hawaiian family who must decide what to do with the last land tract that has not been developed. As business swirls through his head, he keeps vigil at the bedside of his comatose wife. When the doctors tell him there’s no hope, he must gather his daughters, one a troubled teen and the other an innocent gradschooler, and prepare them. But is he prepared for what he learns about his wife? Can anyone be?

The Verdict: Watch it, with caveats. This movie struck me as incredibly sad. The storyline involves dealing with the death of someone you love intermingled with anger and betrayal. It’s well done, but very heavy. Make sure you have tissues ready. It isn’t a tearjerker in the sense of being manipulatively sentimental, but it is in the sense of being a profound and painful passage so many go through.

Be Aware: Rated R for language, including some sexual references. No violence or sexuality, but quite a bit of discussion about sexuality.


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