The Descendants (2011)

George Clooney runs down a Honolulu street in a panicked, flat-footed shuffle, and it’s the most honest thing he’s done on screen. The Descendants is full of moments like that: awkward, sad and weirdly funny all at once. Alexander Payne opens with a voiceover that over-explains, and the subplot about the cousins and the land sale feels like homework the movie has to finish. The family is the real movie. Shailene Woodley is a revelation as Alex, furious and sharp, and the moment she screams underwater in the pool is a gut punch without a word. Amara Miller is funny as Scottie, and Nick Krause’s Sid starts as a joke and earns a surprisingly kind scene. Hawaii looks lived in instead of like a postcard. It made $177.2 million worldwide on a reported $20M. A 7.6 because it’s honest about grief, even when it’s clumsy. $28.84 says you look up flights to Kauai tonight and decide a slack-key guitar playlist is close enough.

What works: Shailene Woodley is a revelation, and Clooney lets Matt look clumsy and lost in a way movie stars rarely allow.

What doesn’t: The opening voiceover over-explains everything, and the land deal subplot feels like an obligation next to the family story.

Who it’s for: Grown-ups who like their family dramas bittersweet, funny and set somewhere gorgeous.