It’s been far too long since we had a new film from Alexander Payne, who we were beginning to wonder might have become the Terrence Malick of dramedy. But he’s back just a couple of years after delighting audiences with Sideways, bringing George Clooney along for the ride on** The Descendants**. The first trailer for the film has arrived, and you can watch it over at Apple.
The film finds Clooney as Matt King, a land-trading businessman living in Hawaii with his wife and two kids – Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley). Matt has never exactly been the most proactive parent or attentive husband, but when his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident, he realises he has to step up and involve himself in the girls’ lives. Yet he discovers that his disaffected sprogs aren’t desperate for attention from their dad and soon learns that his marriage was not as solid as he thought.
From the looks of this, Clooney is putting in another subtle, conflicted everyman character and there is great support from the likes of Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Robert Forster and Rob Huebel.
Check out the trailer and let us know what you think. The Descendants will be out on January 20 next year after arriving in the US on December 16 to qualify for Oscar season.