"A dramatic American masterpiece."
Alexander Payne's painstaking dramas are a vital piece of the modern cinematic landscape. Sideways was a piece of pure inspired craftsmanship, full of rich characters and a wonderfully intricate weaving of plot points that didn't feel heavy handed. Payne has perfected the art of the American drama into a craft, one that he continues to develop.
The Descendants, which sports the best performance of George Clooney's career, is the best American family drama since American Beauty. Payne's careful attention to slowly crafting a script that features a complicated web of emotions, relationships, and mistakes has paid off in one of the most defining looks at the modern American family in all its glory and pitfalls.
George Clooney, Shailene Woodly, and Amara Miller in Alexander Payne's The Descendants
Set in Hawaii, The Descendants chronicles one of the most difficult periods of time in Matt King's life. Currently in the middle of negotiating a massive real estate deal that involves the land he and his family have inherited since the founding of Hawaii itself, Matt finds himself taking care of his two young daughters as their mother (Elizabeth) was severely injured in a boating accident. Matt has been an absentee father, "a back-up parent", as Payne's script eloquently states, and now finds himself thrust in the spotlight.
If the situation couldn't get complicated enough, Matt's eldest, troubled daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) confesses that Elizabeth was cheating on him. The Descendants beautifully sets up a dramatic centerpiece which is full of a few unexpected and beautifully written plot points that keep things more than interesting. Payne's strength is the ability to continually keep the audience guessing what's next, knowing that whatever is on the horizon is going to enhance the already well constructed dramatic situation.
Think about the last time the genuine feeling of surprise occurred at the movies. Few and far between. Payne is one of the few who stays ahead of his audience, leading, instead of pushing them towards the narrative's climax.
George Clooney and Shailene Woodly in Alexander Payne's The Descendants
The ultimate strength of a drama relies on the fine line between telling the audience how to feel, and allowing the audience to feel the intended emotion. The best dramas take it a step further, presenting such a realistic emotional palette that the audience may not know what to feel, or feel several conflicting emotions at once. That is the high water mark for a drama, and Payne has put The Descendants among the best there is. More so than the shining dramas of last year (Social Network, True Grit, King's Speech, Black Swan), a modern, un-stylized drama is difficult to get past the sniff test of smart audiences—there's no fallback to style.
This is the life we all lead as Americans, and even though audiences will never know what went on in the courtrooms during the Facebook lawsuit (or if "Lawyer up, asshole!" was ever actually said), or how hard life really was on the rough lands of Arkansas for a Marshall and a young girl on a bounty hunting mission; audiences know how hard their own lives are. It presents the most difficult grading curve there is, and The Descendants couldn't have been a more effective and gut wrenching effort. It's no wonder it took Payne seven years to craft this, and it's his masterpiece... so far.
George Clooney and Shailene Woodly in Alexander Payne's The Descendants
Overall
Movies are cheap laughs, easy entertainment, external stimulation, an adrenaline high, and exploitive money making devices. Movies are art, moving paintings, emotional experiences, and a cathartic way of coping and understanding the human condition. Some movies are a canvas for a visual genius (Malick, Fincher), a conceptual idea (Moneyball), or a novel undertaking (The Artist).
Alexander Payne is the impressionistic genius of the modern American drama. Up close, it's beautiful and impactful, but when viewed from a step back, there's an overwhelming and emotional connection with something we can only connect with through art.
