Clooney’s career best fuses humor and heartbreak
GEORGE Clooney delivers the finest performance of his career in “The Descendants,” Alexander Payne’s exquisite fusion of heartbreak and humor—and one of last year’s best films. Clooney and his co-actors deserve hearty pats on the back for turning in citation-worthy portrayals that don’t rely on navel-gazing or self-indulgent caterwauling to sustain viewers’ interest and empathy.
With the imminent sale of 25,000 acres of unspoiled Hawaiian land owned by the family of lawyer Matt King (Clooney), the boating accident of his wife, Elizabeth, couldn’t have come at a worse time. As Liz fights for her life while in a coma, however, Matt learns about her infidelity from his rebellious 17-year-old daughter, Alex (Shailene Woodley).
Road trip
Acknowledging that his negligence has been at the root of lonely Liz’s “indiscretion,” Matt decides to embark on a life-changing road trip with Alex and his other daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller), with Alex’s kooky stoner boyfriend, Sid (Nick Krause), in tow—to inform friends and family members about his wife’s worsening condition.
But, there’s one person Matt is dreading to meet—realtor Brian Speer, the other man in Liz’s life, who just happens to be happily married! Worse, the guy stands to gain from the sale of the King clan’s real-estate gem.
The dramatic upheavals in Matt’s life seem culled straight out of overwrought telenovelas—but, Payne’s film is beautifully told and unexpectedly low-key. Moreover, what it lacks in showy confrontations it more than makes up for in stirring insights on love and forgiveness. It’ll make you cry one minute and laugh the next.
Clooney limns his characterization to nuanced perfection—his moving moment with his sick wife toward the end of the film is one of the production’s dramatic highlights. With Leonardo DiCaprio (“J. Edgar”), Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”) out of the Best Actor race, Clooney is on his way to winning his second Oscar statuette (after 2005’s “Syriana”), with only Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) standing in his way.
‘Unofficially Yours’
John Lloyd Cruz and Angel Locsin’s romantic starrer, “Unofficially Yours,” fuses comedy and drama better than the similarly themed “My Cactus Heart.” With Cathy Garcia-Molina at its helm, the movie about losing and coping goes beyond hemming and hawing its narrative threads around the tale of cynical journalist, Ces Bricenio (Locsin), who prefers casual hook-ups over long-term commitment—but, not if dentist-turned-writer Mackie Galvez (Cruz) can help it!
As its star-crossed lovers, Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz didn’t have much chemistry on the TV chiller, “Imortal”—but, that previous partnership helped them engender a romantic kinship that makes their characters’ “sensitive” scenes in Molina’s film smolder with vitality.
The movie showcases Cruz’s knack for rom-com banter and Locsin’s evolving dramatic chops. Aside from the young leads’ textured portrayals, Tetchie Agbayani (as Ces’ broken-hearted mom) and Boom Labrusca (as one of Mackie’s buddies) come on strong.
Also leaving a strong impression on viewers is the comebacking Patrick Garcia who, despite his short screen time, makes people understand why his betrayal has left Angel’s character broken and bitter.
Initially, the movie makes a case for young people’s proclivity for no-strings-attached fun—only to turn its amoral tale around, and prove there’s more to intimacy than loveless sex!
