Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 11/16/2011 (LA & NY) 11/18/2011 (Limited) Home Video Not Available MPAA Rating Rated R for language including some sexual references Running Time 110 Minutes Genre Drama,Comedy Director Alexander Payne Writer Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash Cast George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie Studio Fox Searchlight |
THE DESCENDANTS (2011)
SYNOPSIS
From Alexander Payne, the creator of the
Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The
Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes
tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an
indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is
forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future
when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki.
The event leads to a rapprochement with his young
daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell
the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty
and missionaries. -- (C) Fox Searchlight
From Alexander Payne, the creator of the
Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The
Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes
tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an
indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is
forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future
when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki.
The event leads to a rapprochement with his young
daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell
the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty
and missionaries. -- (C) Fox Searchlight
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
Oscar Winning Director /Writer /Producer Alexander Payne (Oscar Nominated Sideways) has done
it again and produced, written, and directed another award winning film, The Descendants.
Starring George Clooney as Matt King, a successful lawyer from a long list of Hawaiian
descendants who because his “living on the edge” wife is in a terrible coma after a boating
accident, must take over as head parent to his two adolescent daughters, Alexandra (played by
the young TV star Shailene Woodley with an Oscar worthy performance) and Scottie (Amara
Miller). As a self proclaimed “back up parent” he is completely at a loss when it comes to what do
and how to act as the head parent and how to not only deal with his grief for his wife, Elizabeth, but
figure out how to help his daughters deal with theirs. Knowing he is going to need help he decides
to pull his rebellious 17 year old daughter Alexandra out of her boarding school to help him tell
Scottie that her mother is not going to make it and then go around and tell all their friends and
family. Alexandra does not want to do this and ends up telling King, her father, that her mother
was cheating on him and that is why she is so angry with her. King who is already having a hard
time dealing with his grief and parenting struggles is astonished to find out his dying wife was
having an affair and begins to obsess about the other man and how to achieve closure. While
many people cannot relate to being extremely wealthy living in Hawaii, Payne does an astounding
job making this story relatable to everyone because it simply focuses on the emotional struggle
between a person and his or her grief, parenthood and discovering the deception of a loved one.
Clooney plays this part with a quiet brilliance that allows the audience to not only feel his pain but
experience his journey for closure. Alexandra’s friend Sid (hysterically played by Nick Krause)
joins both Alexandra and King as they make their rounds telling everyone Elizabeth’s wishes are to
be taken off life support and she is not going to make it adding comedy to some very stressful
moments. Payne enlisted the help of first time author Kaui Hart Hemmings on converting her
novel to the big screen with advice on clothing, settings, motives, and even has her star in a small
role as Kings Secretary. Payne even stayed in Hawaii for five months studying the landscape and
culture which definitely shows in his screen adaption of her novel. The cinematography is, of
course, what anyone would expect from a movie filmed in the beautiful landscape of Hawaii so
between the directing, cinematography, screenplay, and acting this film is sure to be in most
people top ten for the year.
it again and produced, written, and directed another award winning film, The Descendants.
Starring George Clooney as Matt King, a successful lawyer from a long list of Hawaiian
descendants who because his “living on the edge” wife is in a terrible coma after a boating
accident, must take over as head parent to his two adolescent daughters, Alexandra (played by
the young TV star Shailene Woodley with an Oscar worthy performance) and Scottie (Amara
Miller). As a self proclaimed “back up parent” he is completely at a loss when it comes to what do
and how to act as the head parent and how to not only deal with his grief for his wife, Elizabeth, but
figure out how to help his daughters deal with theirs. Knowing he is going to need help he decides
to pull his rebellious 17 year old daughter Alexandra out of her boarding school to help him tell
Scottie that her mother is not going to make it and then go around and tell all their friends and
family. Alexandra does not want to do this and ends up telling King, her father, that her mother
was cheating on him and that is why she is so angry with her. King who is already having a hard
time dealing with his grief and parenting struggles is astonished to find out his dying wife was
having an affair and begins to obsess about the other man and how to achieve closure. While
many people cannot relate to being extremely wealthy living in Hawaii, Payne does an astounding
job making this story relatable to everyone because it simply focuses on the emotional struggle
between a person and his or her grief, parenthood and discovering the deception of a loved one.
Clooney plays this part with a quiet brilliance that allows the audience to not only feel his pain but
experience his journey for closure. Alexandra’s friend Sid (hysterically played by Nick Krause)
joins both Alexandra and King as they make their rounds telling everyone Elizabeth’s wishes are to
be taken off life support and she is not going to make it adding comedy to some very stressful
moments. Payne enlisted the help of first time author Kaui Hart Hemmings on converting her
novel to the big screen with advice on clothing, settings, motives, and even has her star in a small
role as Kings Secretary. Payne even stayed in Hawaii for five months studying the landscape and
culture which definitely shows in his screen adaption of her novel. The cinematography is, of
course, what anyone would expect from a movie filmed in the beautiful landscape of Hawaii so
between the directing, cinematography, screenplay, and acting this film is sure to be in most
people top ten for the year.
By Brenda S. Ladd
