The Descendants Information

The Descendants is a 2011 American drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash is based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard and Robert Forster, and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on November 18, 2011 after being screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Tracing the journey of land baron Matt King who struggles with unexpected occurrences in his monotonous life, The Descendants was released to positive reviews from critics and won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as two Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture " Drama and Best Actor " Drama for Clooney.

Plot

Matt King (George Clooney) is a Honolulu-based lawyer and the sole trustee of a family trust that controls 25,000 acres of pristine land on the island of Kaua'i. Though he has been able to manage his money, most of Matt's cousins are broke from squandering their share of the inheritance. The trust will expire in seven years because of the rule against perpetuities, so the King family has decided to sell the land to Kaua'i native Don Holitzer for development. Just before family members are ready to formally endorse the deal, a boating accident near Waik?k? renders Matt's wife, Elizabeth, comatose.

Matt and Elizabeth have two daughters, 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17-year-old Alex (Shailene Woodley). Matt is not very close to his daughters and refers to himself as the "back-up parent." With Elizabeth in a coma at Queen's Hospital, he is forced to confront Scottie's inappropriate behavior with other children and Alex's destructive ways.

Matt learns that Elizabeth will never awaken from her coma, which means that under the terms of her living will she must be disconnected shortly from life support. He tells Alex, but not Scottie, that Elizabeth will not recover and must be allowed to die. To Matt's dismay, Alex initially refuses to see her mother. She then reveals to her father that Elizabeth was having an affair at the time of the accident, which caused a major rift between the mother and daughter. Matt confronts two family friends, Kai and Mark. After hearing news of Elizabeth's imminent death, Kai tells Matt that Elizabeth was planning on leaving him for the other man, and learns from Mark that Elizabeth's lover is named Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard).

Matt decides to find Brian and tell him that Elizabeth will soon be dead to give him a chance to visit her while she's still alive. He discovers that Brian is a real estate agent currently vacationing on Kaua'i. After telling the family of Elizabeth's terminal prognosis, Matt, along with the girls and Alex's slacker friend Sid (Nick Krause), travel to Kaua'i to find Brian.

Matt goes jogging on the beach and passes a man that he recognizes as Brian. He trails him and sees him enter a cottage owned by Matt's cousin, Hugh (Beau Bridges). Hugh tells him that Brian is Don Holitzer's brother-in-law, and if Matt and his family sell the land to Holitzer, Brian stands to gain a lot of money from commissions when the land is developed.

Matt goes to the cottage and introduces himself as Elizabeth's husband. He tells Brian that he is there to let him know that Elizabeth will die in a few days and he wants to give Brian a chance to say goodbye. Brian says that while Elizabeth loved him, the affair was only a fling for him, and he loves his wife and family. He tells Matt he is sorry for the pain he caused.

Matt meets with his many cousins to vote on the fate of the family's 25,000 acres. The majority vote is for Don Holitzer, but Matt has second thoughts and decides to keep the land and find a different solution. Shocked, Hugh tells Matt that he and the other cousins may take legal action, but Matt is undeterred.

At Queen's Hospital, Elizabeth is disconnected. Her father Scott (Robert Forster) visits and tells Matt he should have been a more generous and loving husband to Elizabeth, whom he describes as a good and faithful wife. Matt agrees with him, choosing not to disclose the details of Elizabeth's affair to her father. Later, Julie Speer (Judy Greer) arrives, telling Matt she is now aware of the tryst between Elizabeth and her husband. Julie forgives Elizabeth, even though she wants to hate her for destroying her family. Scottie is finally told of her mother's impending death by Elizabeth's doctor, at the behest of Matt, and she and her sister say their final goodbyes. Finally coming to terms with his wife's act of treachery, Matt tenderly kisses her and tells her goodbye. Later, Matt, Alex, and Scottie scatter Elizabeth's ashes in the ocean off Waikiki. The film closes with the three curled up on the living room couch, eating ice cream, and watching March of the Penguins while sharing the quilt that was on Elizabeth's death bed.

Cast

• George Clooney as Matthew "Matt" King
• Shailene Woodley as Alexandra "Alex" King
• Beau Bridges as Cousin Hugh
• Judy Greer as Julie Speer
• Nick Krause as Sid
• Amara Miller as Scottie King
• Matthew Lillard as Brian Speer
• Robert Forster as Scott Thorson
• Patricia Hastie as Elizabeth King
• Mary Birdsong as Kai Mitchell
• Rob Huebel as Mark Mitchell
• Milt Kogan as Dr. Johnston
• Laird Hamilton as Troy Cook
• Michael Ontkean as Cousin Milo
• Matt Corboy as Cousin Ralph
• Celia Kenney as Reina

Production

The film began its on-location shoot in Hawaii on March 15, 2010. Most of the film was shot in Honolulu and around Hanalei Bay. Underwater photographer Don King filmed a scene where Alex King sinks below the surface of a pool and screams out her grief underwater. The house used as Matt King's house had a flaw in that it lacked the banyan tree described in the book; the filmmakers solved the issue by transplanting a banyan. For the scene where the King family drives up to a ridge to look over their land, the film used a 3,000-acre private cattle ranch on the south shore of Kauai, Kipu Ranch. Kaui Hart Hemmings, the author of the novel on which the movie was based, had a cameo as Matt King's secretary.

Post-production began on June 14, and continued into February 2011. It screened at the Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals and was originally scheduled to have a limited release on December 16, 2011, but was moved to November 23, 2011 and then November 18, 2011.

The soundtrack uses Hawaiian music, featuring artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi.

Reception

The Descendants received positive reviews upon release. On Rotten Tomatoes it scored an approval rating of 89%. The website's consensus is: "Funny, moving, and beautifully acted, The Descendants captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace." On Metacritic, the film scored an 84 based on 42 critics. Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four star rating. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film a four star rating.

Top ten lists

The film has appeared on the following critics' top ten lists for the best films of 2011:

Critic	Publication	Rank
Todd McCarthy	The Hollywood Reporter	1st
Betsy Sharkey	Los Angeles Times	1st
Don Kaye	MSN Movies	1st
Lou Lumenick	New York Post	1st
Stephen Holden	The New York Times	1st
Marshall Fine	Hollywood & Fine	1st
Joe Neumaier	Daily News	2nd
Ann Hornaday	The Washington Post	2nd
Peter Travers	Rolling Stone	3rd
Corben Carpenter	Clear Lake	3rd
Michael Phillips	Chicago Tribune	4th
Anne Thompson	indieWire	4th
Peter Rainer	The Christian Science Monitor	5th
Lisa Schwarzbaum	Entertainment Weekly	6th
Sean Axmaker	MSN Movies	6th
David Denby	The New Yorker	7th
Peter Hartlaub	San Francisco Chronicle	7th
Jaime N. Christley	Slant Magazine	7th
Peter Paras	E! Online	7th
Richard T. Jameson	MSN Movies	9th
	MTV	9th
Jack Gregson	ScreenGeeks UK	9th

Accolades

List of awards and nominations

Awards Group	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
84th Academy Awards	Best Picture	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
	Best Actor in a Leading Role	George Clooney
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Editing	Kevin Tent
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
American Film Institute	Movies of the Year
Art Directors Guild	Contemporary Film	Jane Anne Stewart
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts	Best Film " International
	Best Screenplay " International	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
	Best Actor " International	George Clooney
Boston Society of Film Critics Award	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Use of Music in a Film
65th British Academy Film Awards	BAFTA Award for Best Film	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role	George Clooney
	BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Casting Society of America	Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Big Budget Drama Feature	John Jackson, John McAlary
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film
	Best Adapted Screenplay
	Best Ensemble
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Actor of the Year	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Breakthrough Film Artist	Shailene Woodley
Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Picture
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
	Best Promising Performer	Shailene Woodley
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Picture
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Young Actor/Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Acting Ensemble
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Denver Film Critics Society	Best Film
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Supporting Actress	Judy Greer
	Best Breakout Star	Shailene Woodley
	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Detroit Film Critics Society	Best Film
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Breakthrough Performance	Shailene Woodley
Florida Film Critics Circle	Best Picture
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Golden Globe Awards	Best Picture " Drama	"
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Actor " Drama	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Grammy Awards	Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Independent Spirit Awards	Best Film	"
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Supporting Female	Shailene Woodley
	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Film
	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance	Shailene Woodley
National Board of Review	Top 10 Films	"
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
New York Film Critics Online	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Online Film Critics Society	Best Picture
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley
	Best Adapted Screenplay
Palm Springs International Film Festival	Chairman's Award	George Clooney
Phoenix Film Critics Society	Best Picture
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Actor in a Leading Role	George Clooney
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Shailene Woodley
	Best Screenplay: Adaptation	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
	Breakthrough Performance on Camera	Shailene Woodley
	Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role: Female	Amara Miller
Producers Guild of America Award	Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Ensemble	Beau Bridges, George Clooney, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Shailene Woodley
	Best Actor	George Clooney
Satellite Awards	Best Film " Drama
	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Supporting Actress	Judy Greer
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
	Best Editing
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Actor	George Clooney
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
	Best Film
	Best Director	Alexander Payne
	Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley

Home media

Two home video formats of The Descendants were released March 13, 2012: a one-disc standard DVD and a two disc Blu-ray combo pack (Blu-ray + DVD + digital copy).