The Descendants

Whilst a decent enough film, this is not an Oscar award winning performance by Clooney, good though it is. Recently Cloony's films have always been watchable, from Syriana to Up in the Air (we can forget the Oceans franchise) and this film follows in that rather rich vein, but lets not get too excited. It's the sort of story the BBC does well at although without the exotic locations.
What did strike me about the film and the book it was based on, is that someone, whether it was the author in the first place, or the director, knew Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi.
She said back in 1970 (before the book author was born)
'I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise'
For that is the back story, the opening shot is of a multi laned highway crammed with cars going through urban sprawl with a hint of the sea beyond, and Cloony's character is having to decide what he is going to do with an unspoilt piece of coastline his family have held in trust with property developers offering vast sums for the rights to redevelop.
Then to compound the link, his wife comatose in a hospital bed looks like Joni Mitchell in the long shots, high pronounced cheekbones and long golden hair.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel *, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum *
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT * now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

7.9 / 10