Only a solid week late with this review, too. Go me! So it's a miniature Brenner family tradition that we see a movie Christmas eve. Despite my pushing for "Hugo", the 3D scared away the elders, so we settled on the safe choice of an award-baiting George Clooney's collaboration with Alexander Payne. I had (rather) affectionately been referring to this one as "white people problems" due to the setting and subject matter (Hawaii, rich people, really?), but there's no denying the talent of Mr. Clooney, and who doesn't like "Sideways"?, so here we are. It's one of the appeals of film, I suppose, that the setting can psychologically have so much bearing on your viewing experience. During "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", for instance, I found myself somewhat chilled by the frigid and harsh conditions. During this one, despite seeing it on a 30 degree NW Ohio day, I felt the need to thrown on linen pants and boat shoes, and the setting really is a character all its own. Movies come in all shapes and sizes, and there's certainly something to be said for the family dramedy, an American institution in and of itself. This flick focuses on a man, Matt King, who happens to be heir (along with his numerous cousins) to the largest untouched part of Hawaii due to an inheritance from the royal family and his two daughters, Scottie and Alex as they deal with the aftermath of a horrible accident involving his wife and their mother. Due to the Rule Against Perpetuities (law school shout out) the trust that has governed the land grant for more than a century is due to expire, and Matt as sole trustee has the final say over what will be done with the pristine coastline worth hundreds of millions.
So let me say that going into this one I was very, very skeptical. Not that I doubted the talent of the people involved, quite the contrary actually, just that I wasn't sure how much dramatic heft a bunch of rich people could possibly pack. And for the first 30 minutes or so, I was convinced that my cynical snarkiness would win the day.. with all of this talk about "land sales" and "boating accidents" and traipsing about law offices and wealthy Honolulu neighborhoods I was prepared to write this one off as one of the root causes of the "Occupy Honolulu" movement. But as the entirety of what this particular family was facing began to set in and the utter humanity of the characters shone through the high-dollar veneer, my cynicism began to fade and that handsome bastard Clooney charmed the pants off of me the way he has countless cocktail waitresses and starlets for the better part of two decades now.
A flick like this simply can't work without a cast that's at once likable and believable. Movie stars can't simply waltz around acting movie-starry if you're going to pull off a small, human drama. Clooney, as the narrator/protagonist, deserves all the hype. He's likable, charming, flawed, funny and above all human as a dad, husband and trustee who's simply in over his head. I've ragged on Clooney for always playing Clooney in the past, and there's a lot of that here, but he brings a certain weariness and vulnerability to the role that really makes Matt a likable and utterly human "hero". The kids are the real stars of this flick though. Amara Miller, who plays 10 year old Scottie, is funny, quirky and most of all completely convincing as a kid reconnecting with dad. Shailene Woodley brings a worldliness (is that a word?) to the elder daughter, forced to grow up far too fast by circumstances, and acting out as a result. You really believe that these people are a family, and that's crucial. Alex's "friend", Sid, is a treat and provides much-needed comic relief in parts.
This is a sweet little flick, at times funny, sad, charming and moving, but it tells a completely human story that just happens to take place in paradise. Is it #richpeopleproblems? Sure, but sometimes people are people, man. These are people with flaws but also charms, and sometimes tough times are just what we need to bring us together.
7.8/10. A good indie family dramedy that ends strong after some early struggles.
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