Jim McAllister in Election, Warren Schmidt in About Schmidt, and now George Clooney’s troubled Matt King in The Descendants, Alexander Payne sure has a penchant for the emotionally fraught and embittered male protagonist. His latest offering sees Clooney in Hawaii, struggling with a wife in a coma, two troubled, angst ridden daughters, and a sideline of bickering cousins concerned about the sale of family land. It’s been a long seven year hiatus for Payne and he’s delivered a film which is sharp and sweet and affecting but one which unfortunately lacks the originality of his previous offerings.

The plot isn’t especially revolutionary; various dysfunctional family members learn some secrets about themselves and each other, drift apart, drift back together, try to heal scars etcetera etcetera, nevertheless Payne attacks it artfully. The themes are heavy; death, lies and cuckoldry but he skirts the pitfalls of melodrama, injecting wit and farce amid the tears and cloying metaphors likening families to archipelagos. Following an awful introductory voiceover by Clooney- think a more cynical Wild Thornberry’s opening- the film quickly weaves through a thick mesh of subplots accompanied by a tinkling and wistful Hawaiian soundtrack, rarely lagging.

The writing is sharp- Clooney comments how some of the most powerful men in Hawaii look like ‘bums and stuntmen’ and the action is impulsive and unpredictable with surprise punches and flailing runs. Payne is keen to emphasize the ‘trouble in paradise’ shtick but it’s a bit patronizing and contrived. Into the 144 minutes of lingering beach shots and appreciative views of King’s huge house he adds about three minutes of footage of gritty ‘social realism’.

Clooney is good but it’s hard to find much exceptional in his performance. Matt King hasn’t the dissectible character quirks of Schmidt or McAllister and he’s never made fully engaging, Clooney, for the most part relying on looking deep and charming or distracted and charming. The much praised emotional vulnerability and rawness of his depiction seems more an appreciation of a change in appearance-his wrinkles are more pronounced and he has bags under his eyes- than a particularly powerful portrayal. He is far outshone by a stellar supporting cast: Shailene Woodley, in particular, as his rebellious older daughter is far more memorable- bitter and vulnerable- entirely convincing throughout though for some reason her serious drug and drink problems melt away once more pressing plot twists emerge. The younger daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) also excels, offering some brilliantly aggressive cursing and sulky put downs.

The Descendants is funny and melancholy and imperfect; skillfully capturing the messy intricacies of family relationships.  It may be slushier and less cutting than Payne’s other films but it still cements him as a great and ambitious Hollywood talent.