Top Films of 2011

So here it is, my ten favorite movies of 2011. Overall, the films of 2011 were very good, but not great. There were plenty of films that stood out as being better than average, but the year lacked that one or two films that you would really remember as being “the movie of 2011.” If I had to pick one, it might go to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, just because it marked the end of the franchise. If not, then possible 2011 will be remembered for releasing the polarizing, abstract film The Tree of Life by Terrance Malick. But neither of those films cracked my Top Ten List.

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1.  A Separation

My favorite film of 2011 wasn’t a product of the incredible movie industry in America. A Separation is an Iranian drama set in modern day and focuses on a family with many tough decisions to make. First and foremost, does the family leave the difficult living standards of Iran to provide their young daughter a better future? The parents both want to, but the father is caring for his elderly father with Alzheimer’s. To admit that this is the least of their future problems displays how powerful this film becomes. A Separation is one of the best family-drama films I have ever watched and is the best film of 2011.

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2.  The Descendants

This film had something that no other film I watched had: complexity. Most of the best films of the year were fairly simple and straight-forward, but not The Descendants. There were layers upon layers of conflict and consequences, and incredible depth within each character. George Clooney gave arguably his best performance to date, and newcomer Shailene Woodley complimented his performance very well. This is just a story about a normal family going through a lot of shit, and as a viewer you hope they can remain intact at the end. A brilliant film by Alexander Payne.

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3.  Drive

This might be the most memorable film of the year, in my opinion. Everything about this movie screams “style” all over the place, from Gosling’s metallic, silver jacket to the stoic, unknown character with the credits of “Driver.” There is so much explained with so little dialogue. Also, this film contains one of my favorite scenes of the year: the elevator scene.

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4.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

There’s no surprise that a David Fincher film would appear on my list. I was excited when this film was released and the film definitely met my expectations. Mara Rooney’s Lisbeth Salander took the world by storm and she has Fincher to thank for that. The 158 minute run-time breezed by, thanks to Steve Zaillian. Overall, this was a disturbing thriller that wrapped my mind around one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever seen on the screen. I can’t wait for the sequels.

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5.  Midnight in Paris

This actually might be my favorite film of the year, but ended up being fourth simply because there were better movies, imo. But what a joy it was to watch Woody Allen’s love poem to Paris. While I’m not a big Owen Wilson fan, he fit the part perfectly with his boy-ish charm and the way he wandered around the city like a lost puppy. Oh, and there’s what a fantasy aspect about the film that was the biggest surprise for me of the year. This was well done all-around.

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6.  The Help

The Help does a lot of things right and was one of the two surprises of the year with a female ensemble cast (the other was Bridesmaids). The reason why this film is on my list instead of Bridesmaids is because there is a lot more meaning and power behind The Help than the raunchy-comedy. The Help features some of the best female performances of 2011 featuring Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, and Emma Stone. In a male-driven industry, it’s quite a feat what The Help accomplished as a movie.

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7.  Beginners

What first peaked my interest about this movie was the premise: a 75-year-old man admits he’s gay six months after his wife of 38 years passes away. What I didn’t expect was a delicate love story starring Ewan McGregor who was trying to put the past behind him to start over. There were so many small, quirky things I loved about this movie that made this such a gem to watch. Oh, and that Christopher Plummer guy was pretty damn good.

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8.  The Artist

This is a joyful film from beginning to end, and the fact that it’s a black & white, silent film just makes it more impressive. The two lovely leads share great chemistry with each other in all of their scenes. I loved The Artist because not only is it a reminder and a tribute to how films were in the past, but it’s also a very heart-felt romantic-comedy.

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9.  Like Crazy

Easily the most romantic film of the year, Like Crazy dealt with the ups and downs of young love trying to blossom into “happily ever after” through life’s many obstacles. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones are incredible throughout this highly-improved film. It’s this year’s Blue Valentine, but even more powerful.

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10.  Hugo

Martin Scorsese’s first 3-D film shows his passion of the history of cinema and the importance of movie preservation. Aside from that, it’s a wonderfully imaginative film about a boy’s search to understand where he belongs. My favorite aspect about Hugo was when they explored the pioneers who realized you could capture dreams on screen. This was a very touching movie, but don’t mistake this for a children’s film.

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11.  Moneyball

Moneyball is as much about baseball as The Social Network is about Facebook. With arguably the best dialogue in any film from 2011 (Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian), Moneyball showcases the business and aesthetic of the Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane. The film explores themes of social classes and thinking outside of the box to achieve a similar goal. Anchored by a great performance by Brad Pitt, this film is great entertainment.

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12. Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol

One of the more pleasant surprises of the year was the fourth installment of the spy/action franchise, Mission Impossible. Going in I was interested in Brad Bird’s live-action directorial debut. Leaving the theater, I was left with such an experience that no action film has impacted me aside from The Dark Knight. The pacing was tremendous and there was a perfect blend of action and comedy. This should be the standard that all action movies will be compared to. Yes, this film is that good. In addition, this film had one of my favorite scenes of the year: Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa.

84th Annual Academy Awards Nominations Announced!

The Oscar nominations were announced this Tuesday morning and Hugo leads all films with 11 nominations. Below are the listed nominations and then my comments follow.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Artist (2011)
The Descendants (2011)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
The Help (2011)
Hugo (2011/II)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
The Tree of Life (2011)
War Horse (2011)

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Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011)
George Clooney for The Descendants (2011)
Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Brad Pitt for Moneyball (2011)

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Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs (2011)
Viola Davis for The Help (2011)
Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady (2011)
Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (2011)

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Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Jonah Hill for Moneyball (2011)
Nick Nolte for Warrior (2011)
Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010)
Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

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Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo for The Artist (2011)
Jessica Chastain for The Help (2011)
Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids (2011)
Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs (2011)
Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011)

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Best Achievement in Directing

Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (2011)
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011)
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life (2011)
Alexander Payne for The Descendants (2011)
Martin Scorsese for Hugo (2011/II)

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Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

The Artist (2011): Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids (2011): Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Margin Call (2011): J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris (2011): Woody Allen
A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi

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Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Hugo (2011/II): John Logan
The Ides of March (2011): George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball (2011): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

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Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

A Cat in Paris (2010)
Chico & Rita (2010)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Puss in Boots (2011)
Rango (2011)

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Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Bullhead (2011): Michael R. Roskam(Belgium)
Footnote (2011): Joseph Cedar(Israel)
In Darkness (2011): Agnieszka Holland(Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (2011): Philippe Falardeau(Canada)
A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi(Iran)

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Just like every year when the Oscar nominations are announced, there are plenty of surprises when the majority of people believe the race is bland and stale. Starting with the screenplay categories, I didn’t see Margin Call (Original Screenplay) or The Ides of March (Adapted Screenplay) sneaking in. I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which received plenty of love this morning by The Academy.

Once again, David Fincher didn’t get the recognition from The Academy that he deserves. One day, they’ll finally understand what brilliant work he is accomplishing year after year, but for now he’ll just have to remain frustrated. Meanwhile, the only surprise in the Best Director category was Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life. Usually, being snubbed by the DGA is a big indication that you’re not going to be nominated for an Oscar, but this year proved otherwise.

In the acting categories there were plenty of snubs and surprises. The biggest snub was when Albert Brooks wasn’t nominated for Supporting Actor in his great performance in Drive. Instead, Mox von Sydow snuck in for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which was an indication for things to come. In the Actress categories, I was able to predict 9 of the 10 nominations, so there weren’t really any surprises. But in the Acting categories, I couldn’t believe that Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t nominated for Best Actor. Instead, Demian Bichir (A Better Life) and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) were nominated.

Finally, there were 9 Best Picture nominations, and to keep the suspense up they didn’t announce the films in any order. They started out with a surprise right off the bat, with War Horse receiving a Best Picture nomination without any Acting, Writing, or Directing nods. The next surprise was The Tree of Life, which didn’t get any recognition throughout awards season from the Guilds. But the biggest surprise was the final film announced for Best Picture: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Seriously, where the hell did that movie come from?! Practically being invisible throughout all of awards season, that was the bomb that shook the Oscar world. This year’s The Blind Side? I think so.

My reaction to the nominees are divided. I wish The Academy would’ve rewarded excellent films like Drive and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with what they deserved. But as they went on to miss acting, writing, and directing nods, I knew Best Picture wasn’t possible. But I am happy that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy got lots of love from The Academy. But what it all comes down to is if any film can beat out The Artist. It’s very doubtful, but I’ll have my eyes glued on February 26th to find out.

69th Annual Golden Globes

Last night was the infamous Golden Globes telecast, the first awards show during awards season and the one that has the least amount of impact for the one and only, Academy Awards. But nonetheless, NBC airs the unpredictable awards show and has asked Ricky Gervais to host once again. While this made the public salivate at what kind of shenanigans he could get into this year, he was much more subdued as host this time around.

I’ll run down the television winners first, since they will always be runner-up in importance to cinema.

Television

The Best Series – Drama was sort of a pleasant surprise, as the debut season of Showtime’s Homeland won the Golden Globe over other shows like Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. While Boardwalk Empire is great, I still think it’s slightly overrated. In my opinion, Game of Thrones was the best show of the five nominated, but I’m glad that Homeland won.

Best Series – Comedy or Musical went to ABC’s Modern Family for the second straight year. The family-comedy didn’t have any real competition aside from HBO’s Enlightened. Glee has definitely tailed off to the point where I’m surprised it was even nominated. New Girl is one of the most watched comedies, but still overall is just a “cute” show.

Best Actor in a TV Drama went to Kesley Grammar for Boss. This was probably the biggest surprise of the evening, as he beat out last year’s winner Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), the popular and amazing Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and the acclaimed Damian Lewis (Homeland).

Best Actress in a TV Drama went to Claire Danes (Homeland) and it was the right choice. I sort of thought Julianna Margulies would take the award, but looking at the past decade of winners in this category, none has won the award twice so that ruled her out (she won the Golden Globe two years ago for The Good Wife).

The Best Actor in a Musical Comedy TV Series went to Matt LeBlanc (Episodes). So Joey finally got an award? People actually watched Episodes? Everything was confusing for me, but what confused me the most was how Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) was nominated instead of his co-star Jim Parsons.

The Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy went to Lauren Dern (Enlightment). Beating out the very competitive group that consisted of Tina Fey (30 Rock), Laura Linney (The Big C), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), and Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) was impressive. But hey, this was The Golden Globes, not the Emmy’s. No one has had a run in this category since Sarah Jessica Parker won three in four years for Sex in the City.

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Movies

Moving on to the movie portion of The Golden Globes, there was some competition but not much since the awards are divided into Drama and Musical/Comedy categories.

The Best Drama went to the very-deserving The Descendants, which I still have in the number 2 rank for Best Picture. Hugo was really the only competition for The Descendants, but those who are keeping score know this is a bad omen for the film. In the past 8 years, The Golden Globes Best Drama has only matched up with The Academy Award’s Best Picture ONCE (Slumdog Millionaire). Although I would love to see The Descendants win Best Picture, they have a long way to go.

The Best Musical/Comedy went to The Artist, and to be quite honest I was surprised about the selection. I know The Artist is insanely acclaimed and it’s definitely the front-runner for Best Picture, but these are the Globes for crying out loud. This category has been won by films such as The Hangover, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Sweeney Todd. I wasn’t alone when I thought Bridesmaids had this award locked.

The only category that really mattered in the movie portion was Best Director, which went to Martin Scorsese (Hugo). I really shouldn’t have been surprised about this, because after this year’s win, Scorsese has won the Golden Globe’s Best Director three times in the past decade (but has only won Best Director once in his entire career at The Academy Awards). What can I say? The HFPA loves them some Scorsese.

For acting, George Clooney (The Descendants) and Jean Dujardin (The Artist) won for their categories, which does nothing for us bloggers to speculate who has the lead in the Best Actor race. Also, Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) won the Best Actresses awards.

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Overall, this was just another typical Golden Globes ceremony. It’s good in the way that it gets the public interested in awards shows and the prestige of excellent film and television. But really, the Golden Globes and the HFPA cannot compare to the merit The Academy Awards has, and it never will. It’s only the lead-in entertainment to the big show. If the Globes wanted to be taken more seriously, eliminate the separate Drama and Musical/Comedy categories and combine them into one. But for now, we all know it’s just a ploy to have the most celebrities packed into one room as possible.

The Golden Globes Nominations

Below are the movie categories for the Golden Globes and what it means to the race leading up to The Academy Awards. Even though I don’t like to acknowledge the Golden Globes too much, it does make a slight impact on which movies and actors are on the right path for an Oscar nomination.

 

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
“War Horse”
“The Ides of March”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“Hugo”
“The Descendants”

Starting with the big award of the night, all of these films except for The Ides of March are expected to receive Best Picture nods. The nod to The Ides of March helps as it was also one of the top ten movies selected by the National Board of Review. But it’s still a long-shot to be nominated for Best Picture.

 

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY
“The Artist”
“50/50″
“Bridesmaids”
“My Week With Marilyn”
“Midnight in Paris”

I don’t think I’ll ever understand why this is a category, aside from allowing films like The Hangover to have its glory. Also, because The Artist is in this category it takes away from any drama that will be The Artist vs. The Descendants, as this is what the race is shaping up to be. We must remember that these are the Golden Globes and anything can happen. What I’m saying is I wouldn’t be surprised if Bridesmaids takes this category over The Artist and even Midnight in Paris. Hey, it can happen.

 

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J.Edgar”
Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”

The Globes really liked The Ides of March, as they rewarded Ryan Gosling with a Best Leading Actor nod. Clooney, Pitt, and DiCaprio are practically locks for Best Actor nominations for the Oscars, so expect one of them to walk away with this award. Fassbender is still in the running to receive an Oscar nomination, but still behind the race.

 

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”

There’s no surprise that Davis and Streep were among the nominees here. Swinton has definitely been receiving praise for her performance in We Need to Talk About Kevin and Mara is picking up some momentum with this nod even though the film has been shut out by most critics circles.

 

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”
Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50″
Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”

The Comedy movie categories are so underwhelming that it’s insulting that The Artist has been places in here. But this is how the Globes are able to invite dozens of stars to litter their ceremony for their ratings-hungry show.

 

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jodie Foster, “Carnage”
Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Kate Winslet, “Carnage”

The most interesting aspect about this year’s comedy category of movies is Bridesmaids. Clearly one of the best comedies of the year, does it have what it takes to seriously be considered an Oscar contender? With actresses that are breaking out into stardom like Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, can they receive acting nominations?

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method”

This is where the Globes make a mark on the Oscar race. With ten nominees for Lead Actor and Actress, there are only five supporting actors and actresses nominated. Here, it seems that Brooks has regained some steam after being snubbed by the SAG. But the race looks to be favoring Plummer in a big way, with Branagh not too far behind.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

The Help is a big contender with Spencer and Chastain leading the way in this category. Bejo and Woodley also remain very strong in this race and you can’t forget about Melissa McCarthy, who was snubbed by the Globes.

 

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
George Clooney, “The Ides of March”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”

Once again, the Globes really went for The Ides of March. Giving Clooney a Best Directing nod was a surprise as it is unlikely he’ll get that kind of response from The Academy. I’m also very surprised that Spielberg wasn’t nominated for War Horse here. Does it really hurt his chances? Not really. The DGA is the best sign to where everyone stands in the race, not the Globes.

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What does all of this mean? Not much. Remember, the Golden Globes are not voted in by The Academy. It’s a group of approximately 100 members that make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that vote the winners. When you compare the prestige of The Golden Globes to The Academy Awards, it’s a landslide. But I will admit that the Globes do make up for some enjoyable programming.

Oscar Watch: SAG nominations announced

The 18th annual Screen Actors Guild awards will take place on TNT and TBS on January 29, 2012 at 8 p.m. Here are the nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton,“We Need To Talk About Kevin”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Armie Hammer, “J. Edgar”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginnners”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

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First and foremost, my initial reactions for the SAG nominations were sort of plain. The nominations for The Artist, The Descendants, and The Help were obvious, but I was quite surprised by Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids to receive noms. I was expecting to see Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, or even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in for the running instead of Bridesmaids (not that I mind because I loved Bridesmaids).

For those who are just shrugging their shoulders and thinking, “Who cares? What does all this matter in the long run?” Let’s take a look at the past few years and see how they match up with the Academy’s Best Picture:

Last year, 2011, The King’s Speech won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and ended up winning Best Picture. Also, Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, and The Social Network were nominated for the SAG and all were nominated for Best Picture.

In 2010, Inglourious Basterds won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and was also nominated for Best Picture. The other SAG nominees were An Education, The Hurt Locker, Nine, and Precious. The Hurt Locker won Best Picture and Nine was not a Best Picture nominee.

In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and also won Best Picture at the Oscars. Other SAG nominees included The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and Milk. Only Doubt wasn’t also a Best Picture nominee.

In 2008, No Country for Old Men won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and also won Best Picture at the Oscars. Other SAG nominees were 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, Hairspray, and Into the Wild. NONE were nominated for Best Picture.

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So what can we conclude? Out of the past 4 years, the movie that won SAG’s Outstanding Performance by a Cast won Best Picture THREE times. Why is that? Because the SAG makes up the largest guild of the entire Academy who votes for the Oscars. Winning the SAG award is being recognized by your peers and puts you at an advantage going into the Oscars. You most likely already have the majority of the votes by the largest guild in The Academy, it’s like you can practically see the finish line.

Anyway, all of this really enforces is that this year’s Best Picture seems to be coming down to a race between two movies: The Artist vs. The Descendants. It’s still early, but that’s really what it’s shaping up to be (unless War Horse can make a ridiculous push as the dark horse, no pun intended).

Movie Review: The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants (2011)
115 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley

Grade: A

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There is a deep satisfaction that I felt after watching The Descendants, Alexander Payne’s first film in years since the incredible Sideways. I laughed, I most certainly teared up (if I was watching the film solo, I definitely would’ve weeped quite a bit), and I became invested in the plot along with every character from the movie. This is the most complete film of the year by the way it works perfectly with the theme of imperfection.

George Clooney stars at Matt King, father of two, husband to a wife in a coma from a boating accident, lawyer, and the sole trustee of 25,000 acres of prime land on the island of Kaua’i. There is a huge monetary benefit to the entire family if the land is sold, but King has bigger fish to fry. This includes telling his rebellious, teen daughter Alexandra (Woodley) and younger daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) that their mother isn’t going to wake up from her coma. As if that wasn’t hard enough to begin with, Alexandra brings another plot point to her dad’s attention: that her mom was having an affair with another man before her accident.

This film is layered with doses of reality and consists of characters that you can relate to. One thing is for sure, you certainly feel for Matt King and really root for the hero of the film during his darkest hours. Whether he finds himself frustrated with his daughters, under attack from his step-father, or spitting out words of anguish towards his comatose wife, Matt King is the center of the film and takes every inch given to him in stride. Payne has always had an excellent eye for detail in what drives characters to and from each other and his attention to detail in The Descendants doesn’t disappoint.

George Clooney really shows off his acting chops as the struggling father and Shailene Woodley surprises as his oldest daughter. The two make up for many compelling interactions and conversations throughout the film that results in some of the most touching moments of the year. Even in a movie with such serious and tragic themes, there are plenty of smiles and humor along their journey, especially Alexandra’s surfer-dude friend, Sid.

There was a point in the film when I thought that there was just too much being piled up against Matt King, but after I thought about it, this is exactly the sort of thing that happens in everyday life. Life throws you a curveball, and then another, and before you know it you’re underneath an avalanche about to cave in. The single thing that helps the most during these situations are the people who surround you, your friends and family.

Also, Matt King isn’t a bad guy, but he’s merely human, just like everyone else in the film. We all make mistakes, but what really defines you is how you deal with the mistakes. King has to prepare himself for a world without his wife, and at the same time mend his relationship with his distant daughters, deal with his demanding cousins and gain closure from his wife’s affair. In the end, Matt King deserves the title of “hero.”