The Descendants

George Clooney shows up for Oscar season more reliably than Elmer Fudd shows up for the first day of Rabbit Season (or maybe that's Duck Season), so get ready for The Descendants.

Clooney stars as Matt - a Hawaiian husband struggling with two of the biggest challenges of his life.

After a boating accident, his wife is in a coma, and her prognosis is dire.

Additionally, Matt starts to act as the primary parent to his two daughters, a role he is not familiar with, as he begins to notify everyone close to his wife that they need to prepare to say goodbye. However, his teen daughter, Alex (Shailene Woodley), drops a bombshell.

Mom was cheating on Matt.

Can Matt go on and complete his final duties as a husband in light of this betrayal?

Will Matt find the man his wife was fooling around with?

The Descendants is a wonderful movie because of Clooney, Woodley, and the amazing scenario director/co-writer Alexander Payne is able to exploit.

Clooney has proven time and time again he expertly is capable of being more than a handsome leading man. In The Descendants, he magnificently balances comedy and tragedy in all of the right ways, including some subtle moments you want to see again and again.

Just watch him change Matt's mood from sullen as he gets verbally abused to a glimmer of pride as his daughter defends him in ways he never thought possible. While some might be surprised to find some comedy in a movie about a woman in a coma, Clooney helps us accept and embrace it with his reactions to silliness around him, giving the audience permission to laugh. However, the serious, dramatic moments are not lost among the giggles.

Then, Woodley shows a maturity and poise far beyond what you expect from a teenage young lady. She has great chemistry with Clooney as the two become a dynamic duo making us laugh, cry, and guiding us along some shocking twists and turns. Most of all, Woodley brings a soul and vulnerability that is shocking.

Overall, I just like the idea and premise. Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Payne and his co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, intellectually and emotionally stimulate us. We all see Hawaii as some tropical paradise where everything is wonderful and luaus are held every night, but this is a reminder that real people have real problems no matter where they live (even if they look like George Clooney?).

Then, the audience is asked to answer the ultimate, most effective question you can ask an audience - What would you do in this situation? As we follow Matt on his journey, we get to think about it, too. It's a cauldron of conflicting theories and feelings.

The Descendants gets a bit off track towards the end, but it's one you need to see.

The Descendants is rated R for language including some sexual references.