1. There’s a preciousness about the pain in Alexander Payne movies. It’s not so much a celebration, or an exploitation of personal pain, but pain is most definitely a major focal point of all of his movies, and some might think that it drowns The Descendants. A story about a man who has to pull his family together amidst the crisis of his wife falling into a coma while dealing with all of the mess that comes with it is not everyone’s cup of tea, that’s for sure. But beneath the veneer of sadness and pain, there’s a nice story about fidelity. Whether that fidelity is to family, whether it’s motivated by spite, it’s an interesting study on a means to an end, that out of the ash of pain and loss can come redemption and rebuilding, no matter the path it took to get there. 

2. It’s always fascinated me how good Clooney is at playing off of all kinds of actors. He really is one of those actors who seems to always make sense, no matter who he’s playing against. Some say that this movie required more of a schlub in the lead role, and that Clooney was a bit miscast. I didn’t have an issue with that. I thought he was great. 

3. The tidy resolution with the family’s land sort of bothered me, but I think it’s one of those turns where you’re not supposed to know the true intentions behind Matt’s actions. I won’t spoil anything, but I think there’s an inherent cheesiness to what he says, that some may try to play off as full of integrity. Not sure how successful that was, but I mean, that’s how I saw that scene played out, so I was okay with it.  

4. All those people you heard giggling when they mentioned the “rule against perpetuities” in the opening narration were lawyers. Or law students. Or in my case, former lawyers. Such a weird legal construct to put in a script. 

5. There’s no question that The Descendants won’t be easy for everyone to stomach. But to anyone who says that those who’ve dealt with death may not be able to handle this movie, I want to say that I lost my aunt a few weeks ago through almost the same circumstances (not the boat accident, everything after that). And I found it incredibly cathartic, albeit incredibly hard and emotional. Take that for whatever it’s worth, but I loved this movie. And I don’t really call myself a big Alexander Payne fan in the least bit.