"The Descendants," simply put, is a great movie.

George Clooney turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as Matt King, a man who too often has put work ahead of family. All his plans to make up for lost time run out when his wife is left in a coma after a speedboat accident. King must deal with her impending death, try to reconnect with his distant daughters, face some ugly realities about his marriage and take a serious look at how much family values are really worth.

Not since his 2007 work in "Michael Clayton," which earned him an Oscar nomination, has Clooney become so entrenched in a role -- from his often broken body language to the quiet power in a farewell kiss. There's not one emotional beat missed.

There's a similarity in terms of the film's structure to Clooney's "Up In the Air," especially in the scenes with his teenage daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley). There's a real warmth to Clooney when he allows his paternal side to emerge, as he did with with Anna Kendrick's character in "Up In the Air." It's as if he can relax when there's no on-screen sexual tension and focus on acting.

And just as he did with Kendrick, Clooney gets a superb acting partner with Woodley. This could have been the one-note character of a rebellious teen but Woodley delivers the most out of the emotional lows and the feisty highs. Keep an eye on her. If she keeps getting roles like this, she'll move to the lead of the strong young actors working today.

Director Alexander Payne sets a smooth tempo for the film. Because he doesn't rush scenes, the actors have time to play out their performance and create more texture. Payne has no problem allowing the camera to linger, a task made easier when the performances are this good.

Clooney and Woodley are great, but their performances become brilliant because of the script by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The writing is almost flawless in the way they use comedy to buffer the dramatic parts and drama to give edge to the comedy.

Even supporting players benefit from the Oscar-worthy writing. It looks like Nick Krause's character, Sid, gets added to the mix only for comic relief. But, as his character unfolds -- just as with so many other supporting players -- deep layers are revealed.

Even the Hawaiian setting helps create the proper tone -- showing that even in paradise life takes no prisoners.

This all adds up to make "The Descendants" a great film. Few movies will make you laugh as loud or cry as deeply. It's a pure film treasure.