After garnering much acclaim with the 2004 dramedy Sideways, and deservedly so, it's been more than half a decade since Alexander Payne has made a new movie. Returning to the playing field with The Descendants, starring George Clooney, Payne appears to have another awards season contender on his hands.
Clooney plays Matt King, a Hawaiian resident who's a bit distant from his wife and two daughters, until a boating accident sidelines his spouse and he's forced to bond with his kids. The Descendants, at least in this trailer, first appears to be comical, but we become clearly aware of this character's cluelessness once he's walloped by news of his lady's infidelity. The plot makes an emotional transition, and we're left to wonder what bitter taste of reality the main character will endure.
Aside from Clooney in common man form, the film also stars Judy Greer, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges,Robert Forster (who clock a kid's dome), and, get this, Matthew Lillard (seriously). The Descendants doesn't hit theaters until December, but we're excited to see Payne's layered work.
