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2011 drama film directed by Alexander Payne

The Descendants
A man looking over his shoulder at the beach behind him, two people standing in the distance by the water.

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 date
  • 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 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, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, 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 being screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]

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 Clooney's performance, 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 [edit]

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 (like his father before) has ably managed his own finances, 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 with a history of substance abuse who 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 Elizabeth was having an affair during her last visit, 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. 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 Dr. Johnston to explain Elizabeth's inevitable death to Scottie. Elizabeth is disconnected from life support. 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. They later scatter Elizabeth's ashes in the ocean off Waikiki.

Cast [edit]

  • 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 [edit]

View of the beach used in the film

The film began its on-location shoot in Hawaii on March 15, 2010.[6] Most of the film was shot in Honolulu and around Hanalei Bay.[7] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Postproduction began on June 14, and continued into February 2011.[9] The film was screened at the Telluride, Toronto[10] 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,[11] and then November 18, 2011.[1] [12]

The soundtrack uses Hawaiian music, featuring artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, Makana, Dennis Kamakahi,[13] and Danny Carvalho.

Reception [edit]

Box office [edit]

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 [edit]

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."[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[16]

Top ten lists [edit]

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[17]
Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times 1st[17]
Don Kaye MSN Movies 1st[17]
Lou Lumenick New York Post 1st[17]
Stephen Holden The New York Times 1st[17]
Marshall Fine Hollywood & Fine 1st[17]
Joe Neumaier Daily News 2nd[17]
Ann Hornaday The Washington Post 2nd[18]
Peter Travers Rolling Stone 3rd[19]
Corben Carpenter Clear Lake 3rd[17]
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 4th[17]
Anne Thompson IndieWire 4th[17]
Peter Rainer The Christian Science Monitor 5th[17]
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly 6th[17]
Sean Axmaker MSN Movies 6th[17]
David Denby The New Yorker 7th[17]
Peter Hartlaub San Francisco Chronicle 7th[17]
Jaime N. Christley Slant Magazine 7th[17]
Peter Paras E! Online 7th[20]
Richard T. Jameson MSN Movies 9th[17]
N/A MTV 9th[17]
Jack Gregson ScreenGeeks UK 9th[17]

Accolades [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Abrams, Rachel (September 7, 2011). "'Descendants' gets earlier bow: Clooney starrer beats Thanksgiving glut with Nov. 18 rollout". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  2. ^ "The Descendants (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 27, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  3. ^ "Box office: The Descendants (2011)". IMDb. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "The Descendants". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  5. ^ Bailey, Cameron. "Special Presentation: 'The Descendants': Alexander Payne". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  6. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (March 15, 2010). "Alexander Payne's 'The Descendants' Begins Shooting". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "The Descendants: Production Notes" (PDF). Fox Searchlight Pictures. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 3, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Cooper, Jeanne (November 17, 2011). "'The Descendants' author highlights Hawaii's less-exotic side". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  9. ^ Fischbach, Bob (July 18, 2010). "Payne busy editing Hawaii family drama". Omaha World Herald. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  10. ^ Lambert, Christine (2011). "The Descendant premiere photos – 36th Toronto International Film Festival". DigitalHit . Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  11. ^ The Deadline Team (July 28, 2011). "Release Date Moves: Searchlight's 'The Descendants', CBS Films' 'The Woman In Black'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  12. ^ blogger (December 22, 2010). "The Descendants". Fox Searchlight Pictures. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  13. ^ filmmusicreporter (October 9, 2011). "'The Descendants' Soundtrack Announced". Film Music Reporter . Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  14. ^ "The Descendants (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Descendants Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Challenger to The Artist is The Descendants". IndieWire. December 27, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Dietz, Jason (December 8, 2011). "2011 Film Critic Top Ten Lists (Updated Jan. 11)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  18. ^ Hornaday, Ann (December 10, 2011). "Ann Hornaday's best films of 2011". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  19. ^ Travers, Peter (December 8, 2011). "10 Best Movies of 2011: The Descendants". Rolling Stone . Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  20. ^ Paras, Peter (December 16, 2011). "Top 10 Movies of 2011". E! Online. E! Entertainment Television. Retrieved December 25, 2011. [ permanent dead link ]
  21. ^ "Nominees for the 84th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  22. ^ "PREMIO SUR - 2012 - Ganadores" (in Spanish). Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences Awards. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012.
  23. ^ Makinen, Julie (December 11, 2011). "'Bridesmaids,' 'Tree of Life,' 'Hugo' in AFI's top 10 films of 2011". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  24. ^ Kilday, Gregg (January 3, 2012). "Art Directors Nominate Movies as Different as 'Harry Potter' and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  25. ^ "Inaugural Samsung AACTA Awards: Winners & Nominations" (PDF). Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  26. ^ Pond, Steve (December 11, 2011). "Martin Scorsese Named Best Director by Boston Film Critics". TheWrap . Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  27. ^ "Film in 2012". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  28. ^ THR Staff (August 20, 2012). "Casting Society of America Announces Artios Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  29. ^ "Tree of Life Leads CFCA Nominations with 7; Descendants, Drive Follow with 6". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  30. ^ "CFCA Names Tree of Life Best Picture". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  31. ^ Website Administrator (December 13, 2011). "17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2012)". Critics' Choice Awards. Broadcast Film Critics Association. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  32. ^ "The 2011 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards". Detroit Film Critics Society. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  33. ^ "Florida Film Critics swoon for 'The Descendants'". The Miami Herald. Miami Herald Media. December 19, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  34. ^ Germain, David (December 15, 2011). "The Artist Leads 2011 Golden Globe Nominations With Six Bids". Time. Associated Press. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  35. ^ Brooks, Brian (December 6, 2012). "'The Hunger Games' And 'The Muppets' Top Grammy Awards Movie Nominees". Movieline. PMC. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  36. ^ Knegt, Peter; Greene, Steve (November 8, 2011). ""Take Shelter" and "The Artist" Lead Spirit Award Nominations". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  37. ^ "37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  38. ^ Prinzivalli, Fallon (June 3, 2012). "Shailene Woodley Takes Breakthrough Performance At MTV Movie Awards". MTV News. MTV. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  39. ^ Coyle, Jake (December 1, 2011). "Scorsese's 'Hugo' Named Best Film By NBR Awards – From the Wires". Salon. Salon Media Group. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  40. ^ Pond, Steve (December 11, 2011). "'The Artist' Wins Another: NY Film Critics Online". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  41. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 26, 2011). "'Tree of Life' leads with 7 nods from Online Film Critics Society". HitFix. Uproxx. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  42. ^ Pond, Steve (November 18, 2012). "Clooney gets Palm Springs film festival Chairman's award". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  43. ^ Mullens, Kelly; Geldmacher, Brittany (January 3, 2012). "PGA Announces Theatrical Motion Picture And Long-Form Television Nominations For 2012 PGA Awards". Producers Guild of America. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  44. ^ Sheehan, Paul (December 14, 2011). "'The Help' leads with four SAG Awards nominations". Gold Derby. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  45. ^ "2011 Winners". International Press Academy. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  46. ^ Gordon, Tim (December 5, 2011). "The 2011 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Retrieved January 16, 2012.

External links [edit]

  • 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

Pictures of Grandmother in Movie Uncommon Grace

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descendants