Simon Dillon reviews the film

After far too much procrastination, I've finally got round to seeing The Descendants - the latest offering from director Alexander Payne who already has excellent films like Sideways, Election and About Schmidt under his belt.

Whilst not in the same league as Payne's previous work, The Descendants does get under the skin of the viewer with its tale of rich Hawaiian landowner Matt King (George Clooney), whose lack of commitment to his family gets a serious wake-up call when his wife has a boating accident and ends up in a coma. The strained relationship with Matt's two daughters - aged 10 and 17 - forms the bulk of the narrative.

There are moments of dark comedy amid what many will see as a rather depressing film, but there are also flashes of redemption in between mouthfuls of misery, and the strong performances from the main cast - not just from the Oscar-nominated Clooney but also from Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller, who play his daughters - make this well worth a watch. Payne revisits some of his earlier themes (such as a subplot involving the discovery of an affair that echoes About Schmidt), but without quite the same bite, and all things considered he is in a gentler, less acerbic mood here. The beautiful Hawaiian landscapes provide a nice counterpoint to the tragic nature of the story, especially given Matt's opening monologue about how just because he lives in Hawaii doesn't mean he suffers any less than people living elsewhere.

The underlying message of the story, with its themes of death and the end of an era, is that everything has its time, and to make good use of the time we have. It also underscores the importance of forgiveness and bonding together as a family in times of trouble. For those who appreciate such warnings, there is quite a bit of bad language, but nothing I felt was out of context.

All things considered, I thought The Descendants was really rather good, but About Schmidt remains my favourite Alexander Payne film.