Matt has to deal with his daughters, his in-laws and also finds about an affair that Elizabeth had with one Brian Speer, a real estate guy. He needs to break the news of the death, to all his cousins and friends. Above all this, as the trustee he also has to decide about the fate of about 25,000 acres of Hawaiian land that has been inherited to his family through their ancestors. All his cousins who are broke, are waiting for this sale to see some much needed money.
Matt handles all these emotional roller coasters in a level headed manner and comes out as a good father and as a responsible Hawaiian inhabitant.
Review
- George Clooney is the soul of the film and the way he handles his foul mouthing daughters, Alex's friend Sid, his cousins, the land deal and his wife's affair, is beautifully underplayed and thoroughly realistic. 2 scenes in particular - his final moments with his comatose wife and the scene when he refuses to sell the land. A-RATE. He is insanely handsome and charismatic as always.
- The daughters Alex and Scottie are terrific and the guy Sid makes a surprise impact as well. Shailene Woodley is a superstar in the making. Solid support roles for all these 3 youngsters. They are prodigally talented and make a mark in the emotional scenes as well as the typically naughty scenes where they use foul language.
- The soundtrack of the movie has light hearted songs in Hawaiian language I believe. The locations are a big treat. Delightful cinematography that captures the beauty of the land. The costumes are also in sync with the culture - colorful shirts and shorts.
- Special mention to the ending of the movie which is simple yet striking.
VERDICT
Simple yet beautiful family movie with a heart. Making such simple movies work, is a big skill indeed.
