The Descendants - 2011

“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” ~ C.C. Scott



The weather in the Bay Area has been rainy and windy and cold which makes it miserable to spend any amount of time outdoors.   So, why not make the best of it and watch movies?   Brian and I don’t visit the theaters very often but since so many films make it to Pay-Per-View so quickly now, we get to watch them in the comfort of our home on our big, flat screen TV.  Popcorn and pots of tea abound as we find entertainment in our living room.

We rented The Descendants this weekend, starring handsome (and somewhat serious) George Clooney.  I don’t think I have seen Clooney in a film lately where he actually smiles or laughs.  He seems to take very intense and serious roles after his comedy stints with the Cohen Brothers and The Ocean Eleven films.  It’s too bad, as he has such a wonderful smile.  Debonair George – a modern day Cary Grant, in my opinion!

The Descendants has an intriguing plot.  Clooney plays Matt King, a real-estate attorney living on the island of Oahu, Hawaii and a descendent of an extended Hawaiian family.  He is now the sole trustee of a big chunk of very valuable land on the island of Kauai and the whole family of cousins is depending on him to agree to sell off the land to make them all rich.  But Matt has more pressing things on his mind.  His wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastle) lay in coma on life-support in a hospital bed as the result of a devastating boating accident.  Matt is now trying to deal with the possibility of losing Elizabeth and being a single parent to two challenging daughters, with whom he has no true relationship.  He was the father who was always working – away on business – and doesn’t have a clue as how to deal with 10-year old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17-year old Alex (Shailene Woodley).  Woodley gives a flawless performance as the troubled and rebellious teenager who pretends to hate everything about her parents.  We get to watch her flourish and mature as she realizes and understands where she fits into the whole family dynamic.  Both girls have their own issues and dad has to figure out how to keep them on the right track while working full-time, arranging the big land deal and preparing himself for the worst with his wife’s deteriorating condition. 

Then there is another complication.  Matt discovers that his now brain-dead wife was cheating on him with some real estate dude on Kauai and he sets out to find the guy and confront him or just satisfy his curiosity?  There is some humor thrown in here when Matt starts to bond with the snarky and challenging older daughter, Alex, as they join forces in search of the “other man”.   Matt always seems to be pretty composed on the outside but we do get glimpses of the torment inside and Clooney’s performance is incredibly believable as a man just teetering on the edge.

One of the highlights of this movie is Alex’s friend, Sid, played to a tee by Nick Krause, as the laid- back dude-of-a-boyfriend who accompanies them on their visits to the grandparents’ house, the hospital and their trips to Kauai to stalk Elizabeth’s secret lover.  At first you might think Sid is just a wise-ass kind of kid but it turns out that he is a sympathetic and likable character who loyally sticks with Matt and the girls throughout all their trials and tribulations and manages to hold his own while helping to keep the peace between the King family members.

The movie has some slow spots and isn’t perfect, but through Alexander Payne’s (Sideways) insightful direction, we get to see these ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances in a very realistic manner.  He manages to establish the disposition of his characters very early on and unfolds their fragile, complex layers of vulnerability and sorrow as the story progresses.  It makes us feel as if we, too, are going along on their emotional ride.

Movie Review by Liz Berry Wagner

The Door in the Floor - 2004

“No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear.” ~ C.S. Lewis

This is a great little movie based on a snippet of John Irving's quirky and provocative novel "A Widow for One Year".  Starring Jeff Bridges as Ted Cole, an eccentric children's book writer and Kim Basinger as his despondent wife, Marion, this story portrays the disintegration of family relationships following an ineffable tragedy.  Talented, little Elle Fanning plays Ruth Cole, Ted and Marion's young daughter, who is sadly caught in the middle of her parents’ inability to cope with their heartbreak and their lives.

I don’t remember this film being marketed in the theaters nor do I remember it receiving any acclaim at the Oscars.  It should have.  It is a moving story (as all John Irving stories are) and the acting is stellar.  

Jeff Bridges is a phenomenal actor.  He takes this role to the highest level and then some.  John Foster, who plays Eddie O’Hare, a teenage student, who spends a summer in the Hamptons as Ted’s personal assistant, does a stunning portrayal of a boy, coming of age, trying to figure out his destiny while in the midst of the unexpected influence of the Cole family.

I can’t write too much about the plot without giving it all away.  You have to see this film.  If you have read “A Widow for One Year”, you will recognize that this movie is just the first part of the novel.  But it doesn’t matter.  It stands strong on its own.  John Irving’s novels are usually so complicated and full of intertwining stories and characters, that extricating a piece of this novel and making it into its own story actually works.

There is so much human emotion and fragility in this story; it is hard not to be moved by it.  It’s raw and real and has enough comic relief to ease the pain of the tragic circumstances that are tenderly woven throughout the story.

This is a really good film with some really great acting.  It's definitely worth your time to watch!

Movie Review by Liz Berry Wagner

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 2011

 
"If you love her, then go get her back." - Robbie, Crazy, Stupid, Love.


This sweet and amusing romantic comedy was a joy to watch.  It's not an academy award winning film but I found it to be funny, silly and altogether heartwarming.

Funny man Steve Carell plays Cal Weaver, an ordinary, laid back and nondescript  family man who finds himself in the throes of the modern dating world after his wife, Emily (played by Julianne Moore) of 25 years suddenly drops the divorce bomb on him.  Cal is a fish out of water, to say the least - as it turns out that Emily was his high-school sweetheart and the only woman he has ever been romantic with in his adult life.  At first, he just feels sorry for himself, drowning his sorrows by hanging out alone in a bar. Of course, Carell manages to make Cal's sad predicament extremely funny.  He wears a suit, tie and old sneakers and drinks pink drinks through a straw while mumbling about his wife's affair with David Lindhagen (played by none other then Kevin Bacon who manages to show up in almost every film on the planet!) to anyone who will listen.  No one really does listen until Jacob Palmer, a playboy and a "regular" at the bar scene, takes pity on Cal and decides to step in give him some tips on cruising chicks.  Ryan Gosling portrays Ladies-Man Jacob and does a pretty good job in a role which I wouldn't normally place Gosling.

There are a bunch of intertwining stories going on here at the same time:  You've got the Weaver's 13-year old babysitter, Jessica, who thinks she is in love with Cal.  Then you have Cal's young son, Robbie, who believes he is madly in love with Jessica.  Cal's oldest daughter, Hannah, thinks she is in love with her boring, lawyer boyfriend, (played by Josh Grobin) but he doesn't seem to feel the same way about her.  Meanwhile, Jacob (Cal's love doctor) ends up pursuing Hannah without Cal's knowledge, of course. And David Lindhagen still thinks he has a chance with Cal's wife Emily but truth is...everyone is confused.  Crazy.  Stupid.  Love.

Emma Stone is adorable and delightful, as usual, as Hannah (aka Nanna) Weaver.  Keep an eye on this young actress - she is one to watch.  I think she will go far in her career.  Julianne Moore's role is benign and not really that noteworthy in my opinion - it's not her - it's just that her role was not that interesting.   Marissa Tomei shows up in a few scenes as one of Cal's rather manic one-night stands and she also happens to be young Robbie's frantic grade school teacher.  She in typical Tomei form  - reminiscent of some of her other "girlfriend" roles in movies like Only You, What Women Want, Cyrus and My Cousin Vinny.  Funny Marisa!

Crazy.  Stupid.  Love.  Ain't it the truth?

Take the time to watch this funny and frenzied romantic comedy.  It is a hoot and makes for an enjoyable and delightful movie experience.

Movie Review by Liz Berry Wagner