"The Descendants" is an Oscar-ready collaboration between a great director and a star at the peak of his powers, but at its heart is a message in a bottle reading: "Trapped in paradise. Please send help."

Matt King (George Clooney) is a native Hawaiian, descended from the islands' royal family and American colonists. The extended King family controls thousand of acres that developers covet. But Matt has a more immediate problem than the competing bids. His wife is comatose after a power-boat accident, and the perennial "back-up parent" has to tell his two wayward daughters that she will not recover.

The younger daughter is Scottie (spunky newcomer Amara Miller), a grade-schooler who is only dimly aware of the seriousness of the situation. The older daughter is teen Alex (standout Shailene Woodley from the TV series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), who is on the verge of being kicked out of an elite private high school. One reason for her rebellion: She knows that her mother was having an affair with a married real estate agent named Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard).

With his world collapsing on several sides, Matt flies Scottie, Alex and an oafish young sidekick named Sid (scene stealer Nick Krause) to the garden island of Kauai to take a last look at the undeveloped property and confront the vacationing Speer.

Although there is some squirm-inducing comedy after Matt meets Speer's unsuspecting wife (Judy Greer) and finagles a fake get-together, this is a meaty drama with just enough pineapple glaze to aid the digestion.

The key is Clooney. In "Up in the Air," he was a high-flier who realizes in the last act that he's missed his connection. This performance, the best and most humane of his career, is like the bittersweet return trip home. In playing an everyman stranded between anger and duty, Clooney earns an emotional payoff that a lesser actor would simply demand.

With "Sideways" seven years ago, director Alexander Payne prompted a few comparisons to golden-age greats like Billy Wilder, but with "The Descendants" he proves himself a worthy heir.

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'The Descendants'

Three and a half stars (out of four)

Rating • R

Run time • 1:55

Content • Strong language including sexual references