As a movie, The Descendants has wonderful cinematography and that is about it. As long as you ignore the plot or character development you may leave the theater with a warm fuzzy feeling.
The story revolves around the descendants of Hawaii's first families and how they deal with serious family issues. The movie gives the viewer the sense that the social and economic elite are just like everyone else, save not having to worry about day-to-day necessities.
One example where the story falls down is when it is revealed that George Clooney's character is the sole decision-maker in the disposal of a multi-million dollar family land trust. The deal will affect the fortunes of his entire extended family as well as the state of Hawaii. Yet all of the family members involved with the deal treat it as if it was nothing. Anyone who has the unfortunate experience of settling an estate knows that this is seldom the case, especially when it comes to lager estates.
If you are looking for interesting films on Hawaii's first families, I recommend 1966's Hawaii and 1970's The Hawaiians, which are based on James Michener's epic Hawaii. Both are available on Netflix.
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