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THE DESCENDANTSMovie Reviews
Drama about an indifferent husband and father of two girls who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. Cast:George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy GreerDirector:Alexander PayneRelease Date:November 16, 2011DVD Release:March 13, 2012From:Fox SearchlightRating:RLength:1 hr 55 min
The Descendants played to sensational reviews. • Peter Keough wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...one of the most satisfying ensemble casts of the year.... captures yet again with honesty and compassion the human truths we are all heir to..." • And Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone, "Clooney delivers the finest, truest and most emotionally raw performance of his career." More Reviews Below...
The Descendants Positive Reviews (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Funny, emotional and unfailingly human... shows Clooney in full command... The revelation, though, is Shailene Woodley. She never sets a foot wrong..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 135 words, 11/17/11
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "I wanted the film's elevated sentiments to wash over me, inundate me in its lapping warmth... I found things to like about the film... but I remained untouched."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,119 words, 09/13/11
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...eloquently moving... every actor -- from the very impressive Shailene Woodley to Judy Greer (as a betrayed spouse) -- has a moment to shine.... extraordinary."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 182 words, 11/17/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a beautifully chiseled piece of filmmaking -- sharp, funny, generous, and moving.... made with the deceptively simple flow of an improvised adventure."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 763 words, 11/18/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Clooney delivers the finest, truest and most emotionally raw performance of his career.... 'The Descendants' is damn near perfect."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 11/11/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...beautifully textured... Payne reaches new heights in emotional agility, weaving a multilayered story with perfectly calibrated doses of comedy and tragedy."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 11/16/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...we get vested in the lives of these characters. That's rare in a lot of movies. We come to understand how they think and care about what they decide."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 884 words, 11/18/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...assured at every turn and so humane and engaged and absorbing... one just wants to settle in with, so seemingly effortlessly does it carry one along."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 11/14/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...surprising, moving and frequently very funny.... a film that understands, in every way, how hard it can be to say goodbye."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,132 words, 11/16/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...conversational in its pathos, wry in its wisdom, very much an extension of the smart, sardonic sensibility Payne brought to 'Sideways,' and 'About Schmidt.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 957 words, 11/16/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...you feel like you've come to know the characters' entire lives in the span of two hours.... a razor-sharp, pitch-perfect script..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 11/16/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...even-toned but completely inhabited. The tones are complicated but smoothly mixed. The actors have room to make the people their own."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 11/18/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "Mockery and empathy seesaw, the balance precarious -- and thrillingly so. It's the noblest kind of satire: cruel and yet, in the end, lacking the killing blow."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 778 words, 11/14/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...we get vested in the lives of these characters. That's rare in a lot of movies. We come to understand how they think and care about what they decide."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 884 words, 11/18/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...insistently sincere and positively sudsy.... it left me cold. The pathos is as unearned as the protagonist's privilege."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 11/16/11
Gayle MacDonald, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Clooney and the elder daughter (Shailene Woodley) give Oscar-worthy performances... the film will have you laughing one moment and sobbing the next."(See all of Gayle MacDonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 09/12/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's Judy Greer who ends up stealing the picture with just three stunning scenes as a sympathetic spectator to the family drama."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 11/17/11
KEY CITIES (14 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a pitch-perfect movie that threads a microscopically tiny needle between high comedy and devastating drama.... tough, tender, observant, exquisitely nuanced..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 745 words, 11/18/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...transcendent.... Clooney has never been better, subtler, more deeply rooted in a performance... And he's funny, too..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 11/18/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a lovely, heartfelt character study of common, everyday people trapped on the horns of an uncommon but not unheard-of dilemma."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 11/23/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I can't think of another movie this year that made me laugh or weep harder for the whole lumpy business of being.... the film is an enormous pleasure..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,009 words, 11/18/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...shows who George Clooney is, what he can do, and what he means onscreen.... the movie's story is not nearly as good as its setup... [but] it's better than good."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 11/18/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...wonderful... This is Payne's specialty -- darkly comic movies about flawed middle-aged men coping with crisis and taking stock... arguably his warmest film to date."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 11/23/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...carries beauty, humor and pain in an unsteady, exquisite balance. It sneaks up on you emotionally, seemingly too wry and cool at first then accruing real depths..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 11/23/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "With 'Sideways' seven years ago, Alexander Payne prompted a few comparisons to golden-age greats like Billy Wilder, but with this he proves himself a worthy heir."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 11/23/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the most completely satisfying movie Alexander Payne has created. As usual, the writing inspires note-perfect performances, especially George Clooney's..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 11/24/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "In tandem Payne and Clooney deliver one of the year's best films, a bubbly meditation on family and responsibility that weighs just enough to matter."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 11/23/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the more you think about it, the more eloquent the finale becomes. Life goes on no matter what; it's how we respond to the sudden curves and drops that really counts."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 11/23/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...insistently sincere and positively sudsy.... it left me cold. The pathos is as unearned as the protagonist's privilege."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 11/16/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the closest I've seen to a perfect movie in a long, long time.... a film that's as moving as it is witty and dark. It's simply terrific."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 377 words, 09/09/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the most satisfying ensemble casts of the year.... captures yet again with honesty and compassion the human truths we are all heir to..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 11/17/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be more impressed with the visuals in an Alexander Payne film than in the writing or acting, but that's exactly where I am..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 09/11/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "...an ultra-polished picture in which every emotion we're supposed to feel has been cued up well in advance. There's nothing surprising or affecting about it."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,164 words, 11/16/11
Jaime N. Christley, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "As it gained momentum, what I began to see writ across 'The Descendants' was an overlay of decisions and feelings and inner turmoil: unseen cinema."(See all of Jaime N. Christley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 10/17/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's Judy Greer who ends up stealing the picture with just three stunning scenes as a sympathetic spectator to the family drama."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 11/17/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...hits its stride in its second half, when it dispenses with the forced jokes and finds the emotional truths in painful situations."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 11/23/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "Rarely has a contemporary movie taken in so much life and revealed it with such depth... flows with a life of its own that's a good approximation of what we know as real life."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,480 words, 11/18/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...surprising, moving and frequently very funny.... a film that understands, in every way, how hard it can be to say goodbye."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,132 words, 11/16/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...conversational in its pathos, wry in its wisdom, very much an extension of the smart, sardonic sensibility Payne brought to 'Sideways,' and 'About Schmidt.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 957 words, 11/16/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: FAIR "...a disappointment... somewhere around the midpoint I found myself watching with a sinking sensation of is-that-all-there-is? aimlessness that I don't think Payne intended."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,107 words, 11/17/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: VERY GOOD "...gradually builds toward a satisfying emotional payoff... how much you like it will largely be a question of whether you enjoy getting there at Payne's leisurely pace."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 813 words, 09/13/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...tackles some of the prickliest issues a contempo family can face with such sensitivity that it's hardly noticeable you're being enlightened while entertained."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,069 words, 09/02/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...nuances, fluctuating attitudes, loaded looks and tonal inflections among the main characters; the ensemble work is terrific."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,051 words, 09/02/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...conversational in its pathos, wry in its wisdom, very much an extension of the smart, sardonic sensibility Payne brought to 'Sideways,' and 'About Schmidt.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 957 words, 11/16/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...beautifully written, splendidly acted... adds another glorious panel to Alexander Payne's already distinguished if still brief career."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 09/07/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...surprising, moving and frequently very funny.... a film that understands, in every way, how hard it can be to say goodbye."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,132 words, 11/16/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "Rarely has a contemporary movie taken in so much life and revealed it with such depth... flows with a life of its own that's a good approximation of what we know as real life."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,480 words, 11/18/11
16.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Descendants's reviews are separated by an average 16.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Descendants (50 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Descendants's reviews cover 96.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 34,834 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 697 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Descendants Coverage, Volume & Length (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 10 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Descendants's reviews on average broke 10 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Descendants's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Descendants (50 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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