Posted on: March 24, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

George Clooney is one of Hollywood’s best actors, and I believe it is more for smaller films like The Descendants than the blockbusters that ey is usually associated. Alexander Payne (Sideways) helms this title, which is based off of a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Matt King (Clooney) has to get eir life together after eir wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) falls into a coma. Where Elizabeth was the force to keep the family together, Matt has to foster eir relationship with eir daughters. The fish out of water scenario is played to full effect here, while the array of emotions presented through the building of these relationships and the crucial dilemma of the film (whether ey needs to sell off eir house) is easy for viewers to understand and associate.

Fox has bundled a number of bits and pieces to this feature; at the base level, purchasers will be greeted with a DVD and digital copy of the title. However, the featurettes are numerous. The Real Descendants showcases a family on Hawaii that is similar to that focused on by the film, while The World Parade – Hawaii is a newsreel from the earliest days of cinema, focusing on the unique scenery and people of the then-country. The problems unique to filming in Hawaii are covered in Working with Water, a 11-minute featurette. Finally, a short about the casting process will provide viewers with the difficulty in making the cast gel and join together to make a realistic family dynamic.

Buy a copy of The Descendants today – the video and audio are perfect, the cast and director make for a humorous and tragic flick, and Fox has given it their all to make a comprehensive release.

Rating: 9.0/10

The Descendants (Blu-Ray) / 2012 Fox Searchlight / 115 Minutes / http://www.fox.com

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