Movie Mondays: Review of The Descendents

Maui, Hawaii by M-Pics 
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2285  

The Descendents focuses on the classic midlife crisis question: Why have I spent my whole life work instead of living? When you wake up and are 50, 60, 70 years old, you won't regret the fun you've had; you'll regret the hours you toiled away at work, neglecting family, friends, and life for the almighty dollar.
Workaholic George Clooney barely knows how to interact with his own children, one in college and the other in middle school. When his thrill-seeking wife gets thrown from a boat and falls into a coma, Clooney is forced to become a full-time Dad and come to terms with his failing marriage which he may never get the chance to fix. Clooney's performance has been raved about, mostly because it is a departure from the suave guy he usually plays. And he was great.
But the eldest daughter, played by Shailene Woodley steals the show in my opinion. She is sassy, smart, fun, and can be a total bitch with no patience for bullshit. She struggles between wanting to be the fun-loving replica of her mother yet has a pull to be like her hard-working, more steady and stable father, and the two parts don't mix.
Her struggle ties to the title and the concepts of family obligation. We don't think much about our ancestors, yet  fail to learn from that reality. If we are forgotten in a generation or two, then why don't we cherish the little time we do have more? Why don't we align our lives with what really matters? And instead of fighting who we are and trying not to be like our parents, why don't we just come to terms with the parts we inherited and try to use this mess of strengths and weaknesses to find our personal version of happiness?
This movie is a thinker, and I left wanting to enjoy my life more each day and reconnect with the people and things that really matter.--always a good lesson to re-learn.