The Descendants/My Week With Marilyn

I ignored the Oscars this year, mostly because I missed all of the big nominees. This weekend I caught up with two of them: The Descendants and My Week With Marilyn. Both are precisely the type of movie the Academy likes: good, tasteful, unambitious dramas with fine acting. All that's missing is a monarch.

The Descendants (2011, Alexander Payne)

The Descendants is a good slice-of-life drama without much originality. George Clooney got a well-deserved Oscar nod, and indeed the whole cast is excellent. But the familiar story keeps it from achieving greatness.

Hawaiian lawyer Matt King (George Clooney) must simultaneously address several crises. As the trustee of a tract of family land, he's pressured to sell the estate by cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges) when his lease expires. Even more distressing is his wife Elizabeth, comatose after an accident, whom Matt discovers was cheating on him with realtor Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). Matt deals with related family difficulties, especially his troubled daughter Alex (Shaileen Woodley) and irate father-in-law (Robert Forster).

The Descendents works best as a character study. Alexander Payne is best-known for caustic satires like Election and Citizen Ruth but he proves adept at low-key drama. The cast is richly drawn and their problems presented with sensitivity. Matt's a very sympathetic character, having to keep his head in a very confusing situation. His family can't come to terms with Elizabeth's death, his business partners pressure him, and Matt's obsession with his wife's infidelity nearly drives him mad. Set to some gorgeous Hawaiian scenery and music, it's certainly an enjoyable watch.

George Clooney pulls off a difficult performance: he needs to be the grieving spouse, cuckolded husband, stern family man and conflicted landowner at once, handling all with remarkable skill. The fetching Shaileen Woodley gives an endearing turn, while Amara Miller is precocious without being grating. The supporting cast has several gems. Matthew Lillard shines in a rare dramatic role. Judy Greer walks away with her scenes as Lillard's oblivious wife. Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) gets some nice moments, especially punching out Alex's stoner boyfriend (Nick Krause).

The Descendants' main demerit is an underwhelming story. The plot isn't especially compelling and has a lethargic, unengaged feel at times. For all its character maturity, the script periodically falls back on cheap drama, namely a "will he sign the property (and his soul) away?" dilemma out of a bad sitcom. And how many monologues to a coma patient does one film need? These faults mark The Descendents as a pleasant but unremarkable show.

My Week With Marilyn (2011, Simon Curtis)


More successful is My Week With Marilyn. Michelle Williams' fabulous portrayal of Marilyn Monroe garnered lots of attention but the movie succeeds on multiple levels. Simon Curtis does a fine job showing the post-war British film industry and the perils of stardom.

Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) ignores his parents' wishes and badgers his way into Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branaugh) production company. Oliver is preparing a film, The Prince and the Showgirl, where he'll co-star with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) - though wife Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond) suspects "Larry" wants to seduce the starlet. The neurotic, "difficult" Marilyn can barely function on a film set, aggravating Olivier to no end. But Marilyn finds solace with Colin, and the two begin an idyllic relationship that changes both of them.

My Week with Marilyn gives a good portrait of '50s British film, cash-strapped, heavily unionized and ego-driven. But its main appeal is the human depiction of cinema icons. Marilyn is believably neurotic, bubbly one moment and a nervous wreck the next, desperate for love and perfection she can never achieve. She's unable to live down her image, ruining her marriage to Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) and irritating Olivier ("Be sexy. Isn't that what you do?"). Classical actor Sir Larry is infuriated by Marilyn's "method" acting but entranced by her persona. Colin's involvement seems a happy accident, until Marilyn's affection starts interfering with his work and life.

Michelle Williams is stunning: she's got Monroe's mannerisms and style down pat, and is appropriately erratic and flighty, or warm and vulnerable. Kenneth Branaugh (Valkyrie) as Olivier is on-the-nose casting but he gives a perfect impression of the legendary actor. Eddie Redmayne (Elizabeth I) is effortlessly charming without overselling Colin's naivety.

Judi Dench gets some nice scenes as Dame Sybil Thorndike but Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Dougray Scott feel wasted. Emma Watson (Harry Potter) is quite good as Colin's short-term girlfriend. Derek Jacobi (The Day of the Jackal), Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon) and Philip Jackson contribute memorable character parts. In smaller bits, sharp-eyed viewers can spot Jim Carter (A Dangerous Man) as a publican and Geraldine Somerville (TV's Cracker) as Colin's mom.

So this year, Hollywood nominated two diverting but unspectacular films for Oscars? Hardly a shock. Maybe I'll check out The Artist soon.