The Descendants

This article is about the 2011 film. For the 2015 Iranian film of the same name, see The Descendants (2015 film). For other uses, see The Descendants (disambiguation).

The Descendants
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alexander Payne
Screenplay by	Alexander Payne Nat Faxon Jim Rash
Based on	The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Produced by	Jim Burke Alexander Payne Jim Taylor
Starring	George Clooney Shailene Woodley Beau Bridges Judy Greer
Cinematography	Phedon Papamichael
Edited by	Kevin Tent
Production company	Ad Hominem Enterprises
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates	September 10, 2011 (2011-09-10)(TIFF) November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)(United States [1] )
Running time	115 minutes [2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million [3]
Box office	$177.2 million [4]

The Descendants is a 2011 American comedy-drama film ^{[5] [6]} directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the main role, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller in her film debut, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forster, and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on November 18, 2011, ^[1] after premiering at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2011. ^[7]

Tracing the journey of attorney and land baron Matt King, who struggles with unexpected occurrences in his monotonous life, The Descendants was a critical and financial success, grossing $177 million against a $20 million budget and receiving acclaim for the performances of Clooney and Woodley, Payne's direction and writing, and Kevin Tent's editing. The film was nominated for five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, and Best Actor for Clooney, winning one for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won two Golden Globe Awards; Best Picture – Drama and Best Actor – Drama for Clooney.

Plot

Matthew "Matt" King is a Honolulu-based attorney and the sole trustee of a family trust of 25,000 acres (100 km²) of pristine land on Kauai. The land has great monetary value, but is also a family legacy. While Matt has ably managed his own finances, (as his father did) most of his cousins have squandered their inheritances. With the trust expiring in seven years due to the rule against perpetuities, the King clan is pressuring Matt to sell the land for hundreds of millions of dollars. Amidst these discussions, a boating accident has rendered Matt's wife, Elizabeth, comatose. With Elizabeth hospitalized, Matt is forced to cope with his two troubled daughters, 10-year-old Scottie, who seeks attention by bullying other children, and 17-year-old Alex, who has a history of substance abuse and is away at a private boarding school on the Big Island. Doctors determine that Elizabeth's coma is irreversible and her living will directs all life support to be discontinued. When Matt tells Alex, she reveals she learned during her last visit that Elizabeth was having an affair, causing a major rift between mother and daughter.

Two close family friends, Kai and Mark Mitchell, tell Matt that Elizabeth was unhappy and loved Brian Speer, a real estate agent, and wanted a divorce. After Matt informs friends about Elizabeth's condition so they can say goodbye, he decides Brian should also have an opportunity to do the same. He and the girls, along with Alex's slacker friend Sid, travel to Kauai to find Brian. While there, Matt's cousin, Hugh, mentions that Brian is brother-in-law to Don Hollitzer, the developer to whom the majority of the family wants to sell the land. Brian stands to make a small fortune from the sales commission. Matt privately confronts Brian and informs him Elizabeth is dying, and offers him an opportunity to say goodbye. Brian says Elizabeth loved him, but he only loves his wife and children, then apologizes to Matt.

Frustrated and fragile from recent events, Matt asks the doctor to explain Elizabeth's inevitable death to Scottie. Elizabeth's father, Scott, admonishes Matt for failing to be a more generous and loving husband. Withholding his wife's affair, Matt agrees with him, but Sid and Alex unexpectedly defend Matt. At the King family meeting, Matt overrules the majority vote of his cousins, deciding instead to keep the land and look for a way around the rule against perpetuities. Shocked, Hugh tells Matt that the family will take legal action, but Matt is undeterred.

After learning about Brian's affair with Elizabeth, his wife, Julie, comes to the hospital. She tearfully tells a comatose Elizabeth that she wants to hate her for "trying to destroy" her family, but that she forgives her. Matt comes to terms with his wife's infidelity and impending death. He kisses her goodbye, followed by Alex and Scottie. After she dies, they scatter Elizabeth's ashes in the ocean off Waikiki.

Later, Matt, Scottie and Alex eat ice cream together as they watch March of the Penguins , covering themselves in a blanket that Elizabeth had at the hospital.

Cast

• George Clooney as Matthew "Matt" King
• Shailene Woodley as Alexandra "Alex" King
• Amara Miller as Scottie King
• Nick Krause as Sid
• Beau Bridges as Hugh King
• Judy Greer as Julie Speer
• 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
• Michael Ontkean as Cousin Milo
• Matt Corboy as Kaiba

Production

View of the beach used in the film

The film began its on-location shoot in Hawaii on March 15, 2010. ^[8] Most of the film was shot in Honolulu and around Hanalei Bay. ^[9] The location used as Matt King's house lacked the banyan tree described in the book; the filmmakers solved the issue by transplanting a banyan. ^[9] For the scene where the King family drives up to a ridge to look over their land, the film used a 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) 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.

The private boarding school attended by Alex King was depicted as Mid-Pacific Institute, which is in Honolulu, Oʻahu. Kaui Hart Hemmings stated that Hawaii Preparatory Academy, which is located in Kamuela, Hawaiʻi (the Big Island), was the inspiration for the private boarding school. ^[10]

Postproduction began on June 14, and continued into February 2011. ^[11] The film was screened at the Telluride, Toronto ^[12] 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, ^[13] and then November 18, 2011. ^{[1] [14]}

The soundtrack uses Hawaiian music, featuring artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, Makana, Dennis Kamakahi, and Danny Carvalho. It was released by Sony Classical Records on November 15. ^[15]

Reception

Box office

The Descendants opened in North America on November 16, 2011, in a limited release in 29 theaters, and grossed $1,190,096, averaging $41,038 per theater and ranking 10th at the box office. The film then had its wide release on December 9 in 876 theaters, and grossed $4,380,138, averaging $5,000 per theater and ranking seventh at the box office. The film was in cinemas for 156 days and its widest release in the United States was 2,038 theaters. The film ended up earning $82,584,160 domestically and $94,659,025 internationally for a total of $177,243,185. ^[4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 268 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Funny, moving, and beautifully acted, The Descendants captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace." ^[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". ^[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. ^[18]

Top ten lists

The Descendants has appeared on these critics' top-10 lists for the best films of 2011:

Critic	Publication	Rank
Todd McCarthy	The Hollywood Reporter	1st [19]
Betsy Sharkey	Los Angeles Times	1st [19]
Don Kaye	MSN Movies	1st [19]
Stephen Holden	The New York Times	1st [19]
Marshall Fine	Hollywood & Fine	1st [19]
Joe Neumaier	Daily News	2nd [19]
Ann Hornaday	The Washington Post	2nd [20]
Peter Travers	Rolling Stone	3rd [21]
Corben Carpenter	Corben Carpenter's Top Ten Lists	3rd [19]
Michael Phillips	Chicago Tribune	4th [19]
Anne Thompson	IndieWire	4th [19]
Peter Rainer	The Christian Science Monitor	5th [19]
Lisa Schwarzbaum	Entertainment Weekly	6th [19]
Sean Axmaker	MSN Movies	6th [19]
David Denby	The New Yorker	7th [19]
Peter Hartlaub	San Francisco Chronicle	7th [19]
Jaime N. Christley	Slant Magazine	7th [19]
Peter Paras	E! Online	7th [22]
Richard T. Jameson	MSN Movies	9th [19]
—	MTV	9th [19]
Jack Gregson	ScreenGeeks UK	9th [19]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	February 26, 2012	Best Picture	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor	Nominated	[23]
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
		Best Film Editing	Kevin Tent	Nominated
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences Awards	2012	Best Foreign Film	Alexander Payne, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor	Nominated	[24]
American Film Institute	2011	Movies of the Year		Won	[25]
Art Directors Guild	2012	Excellence in Contemporary Film	Jane Anne Stewart	Nominated	[26]
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts	January 27, 2012	Best Film – International		Nominated	[27]
		Best Screenplay – International	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
		Best Actor – International	George Clooney	Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics	December 11, 2011	Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated	[28]
		Best Use of Music in a Film		Nominated
British Academy Film Awards	February 12, 2012	Best Film	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor	Nominated	[29]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
Casting Society of America	2012	Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Big Budget Drama Feature	John Jackson, John McAlary	Nominated	[30]
Chicago Film Critics Association	December 19, 2011	Best Picture		Nominated	[31] [32]
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
		Most Promising Performer	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	January 12, 2012	Best Picture		Nominated	[33]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
		Best Young Actor/Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
		Best Acting Ensemble	Cast	Nominated
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society	2011	Best Film		Nominated	[34]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Breakthrough Performance	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle	2011	Best Picture		Won	[35]
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Won
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
Golden Globes	January 15, 2012	Best Picture – Drama		Won	[36]
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Actor – Drama	George Clooney	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
Grammy Awards	February 10, 2013	Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media		Nominated	[37]
Independent Spirit Awards	February 25, 2012	Best Film		Nominated	[38]
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Supporting Female	Shailene Woodley	Won
		Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association	December 11, 2011	Best Film		Won	[39]
		Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
MTV Movie Awards	June 3, 2012	Best Breakthrough Performance	Shailene Woodley	Won	[40]
National Board of Review	2011	Top 10 Films		Won	[41]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Won
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
New York Film Critics Online	December 11, 2011	Best Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won	[42]
Online Film Critics Society	January 2, 2012	Best Picture		Nominated	[43]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival	January 5–16, 2012	Chairman's Award	George Clooney (Also for The Ides of March)	Won	[44]
Producers Guild of America	January 21, 2012	Best Theatrical Motion Picture	Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor	Nominated	[45]
Screen Actors Guild	January 29, 2012	Best Ensemble	Beau Bridges, George Clooney, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Shailene Woodley	Nominated	[46]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
Satellite Awards	December 18, 2011	Satellite Award for Best Film		Won	[47]
		Best Actor	George Clooney	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Judy Greer	Nominated
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
		Best Editing		Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	December 5, 2011	Best Actor	George Clooney	Won	[48]
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash	Won
		Best Film		Nominated
		Best Director	Alexander Payne	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Shailene Woodley	Nominated

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External links

• The Descendants at IMDb
• The Descendants at AllMovie
• The Descendants at Box Office Mojo
• The Descendants at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Descendants at Metacritic
• The Descendants at The Numbers