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Revision as of 03:20, 27 November 2011
| The Descendants | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Alexander Payne |
| Screenplay by | Nat Faxon Jim Rash Alexander Payne |
| Produced by | Jim Burke Alexander Payne Jim Taylor |
| Starring | George Clooney Shailene Woodley Judy Greer Beau Bridges |
| Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael[2] |
| Edited by | Kevin Tent[2] |
Production company | Ad Hominem Enterprises |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
|
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,505,894[3] |
The Descendants is a 2011 comedy-drama[4] film based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard and Shailene Woodley and it was released in the United States on November 18, 2011.[1] It is directed by Alexander Payne,[2] with a screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.[2] The film screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]
Plot
The film opens with a shot of a woman jet skiing in Hawaii shortly before the credits roll and a voice over narrated by Matt King (George Clooney) begins. Matt is a wealthy lawyer and land baron who is also a descendant of Hawaiian royalty. He explains how ridiculous it is that his friends on the mainland think Hawaii is a paradise when Matt has been living in a "pardise" full of UV and urination bags due to his wife Elizabeth being comatose for the past 23 days. It is now clear that the woman in the opening shot is in fact Matt's wife. Matt also has to deal with being the sole trustee of 25,000 acres of virgin Hawaiian land and the impending meeting with his cousins that will determine what will happen with the land. As of now, it seems the land will go to land developer Don Hollitzer.
Matt has two daughters, 10 year old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17 year old Alex (Shailene Woodley), who is in a boarding school. Matt is not very close with them and has spent very little time with them over the years. Now with Elizabeth in the hospital, Matt finally has to be a real parent. Matt is informed that Elizabeth will not be waking up from her coma. In light of this, and without telling Scottie, Matt picks up Alex from school in hopes of having an ally. Upon their arrival at the school, Alex is drunk and outside causing a mess. Matt takes her home. The next morning while Alex is in the pool, Matt tells her that Elizabeth is not coming out of her coma and that's the reason he came to get her. He tells her they will need to go around and tell friends and family about what is going on. Alex refuses and bluntly tells her father that Elizabeth was having an affair at the time of the accident. Matt is visibly flabbergasted and runs out of the house. He frantically jogs to the home of his and Elizabeth's friends: Kai and Mark. Matt confronts them and demands information on his wife's extramarital affair. Kai is reluctant to reveal anything and Matt angrily berates her and tells her that Elizabeth is going to be taken off of life support. Kai begins to cry and Matt leaves. Mark follows his outside and tells him the name of Elizabeth's lover is Brian Speer. Matt leaves and cries on the side of a road.
Back at home Matt goes to tell Alex to get ready to go see her grandparents. He is surprised to see that Alex has a visitor: Sid (Nick Krause). Alex introduces them and tells Matt that Sid will be accompanying her. Matt instantly does not like Sid, as Sid is obviously a stoner. Alex insists that Sid come with them and Matt grudgingly allows it. At Elizabeth's parents' house, Matt's father in law Scott (Robert Forster) berates Matt and Alex and tells them that they put Elizabeth through hell. Matt's mother in law comes out and it is evident that she has Alzheimer's disease. Sid begins laughing distastefully at something Matt's mother in law says as a result of the disease and Scott punches Sid. The trio are on their way home when Alex reminds Matt that she knows where Brian Speer lives. They go and sit outside his house for a short time before leaving. On their way home Alex spots a real estate sign with a picture of Speer. Matt calls the number and finds out that Brian is on vacation currently. Matt, Alex, Sid, and Scottie travel to where Brian is vacationing and look for him.
One morning while Matt is jogging on the beach he passes a man that at first he does not recognize, but quickly realizes that this is in fact Brian Speer. Matt trails him and sees him go into a cottage. He also sees that Brian has a wife and two children. Coincidentally, the cottage in which Brian and his family are staying is owned by one of Matt's cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges). Later that day while Matt, Alex, Sid, and Scottie are on the beach, Matt notices Brian's wife Julie (Judy Greer) and begins to have small talk with her. Matt and the kids go to a bar and grill for dinner where Matt spots Cousin Hugh. They begin conversing and Matt begins asking about Brian Speer. To Matt's chagrin, Brian is Don Holitzer's brother in law and if Matt and his family decide to sell the land to Holitzer, Brian Speer is the one who stands to gain a fortune from commissions. Matt is shocked by this. On the way to the hotel from dinner Matt decides to go and confront Brian Speer at the cottage. Matt and Alex go while Sid takes Scottie somewhere else. Alex is to distract Brian's wife while Matt confronts Brian.
When they arrive, Brian comes out to greet them and Matt does not hide who he is. Brian's grin quickly fades and he is visibly nervous. Matt and Brian go to the side and Matt tells him that he isn't there to cause any harm, just to let Brian know that Elizabeth is going to die in a few days and that he just wants to give him a chance to say goodbye. Brian says he loves his wife and his family and that he is truly sorry for everything. Matt asks if Elizabeth ever told Brian that she loves him. Brian nods his head. When asked if he loved Elizabeth, Brian remains silent. It is clear to Matt that Brian was having an affair with Elizabeth in order to get closer to him, seeing as he is the sole trustee of the land. Matt and Alex leave, but not before Matt surprisingly kisses Brian's wife on the mouth.
Back at home, Matt is at the meeting with his cousins, including Hugh, to vote on what will become of the 25,000 acres. As expected, the majority vote for Don Holitzer. The only thing Matt has to do is sign the papers. Just as he is about to sign them, Matt decides he wants to keep the land. Shocked, Hugh threatens Matt and tells him that he and the other cousins will come after him. Matt bluntly says that he doesn't care and that if he wants to sue him it will only cause greater tension within the family. Hugh has no choice but to give in. At the hospital, Matt asks for a therapist to break the news to Scottie. Everyone says goodbye and a surprise visitor arrives. It is Julie Speer, now fully aware of the affair between Matt's wife and her husband. Julie begins to cry and stands over Elizabeth saying that she has to forgive her even though she wants to hate her for destroying her family. Matt, uncomfortable, tells Julie to leave. Alex and Scottie say their final goodbyes. Matt kisses Elizabeth one last time, and says "goodbye my love, my friend, my pain, my joy, goodbye" as tears roll down his face. Some time later Matt, Alex, and Scottie are in a small boat scattering Elizabeth's ashes in the ocean.
The final shot shows Matt, now a single parent, with Alex and Scottie on the couch watching TV and eating ice cream as the credits roll.
Cast
Source:[5]
- George Clooney as Matt King
- Shailene Woodley as Alexandra King
- Nick Krause as Sid
- Amara Miller as Scottie King
- Judy Greer as Julie Speer
- Matthew Lillard as Brian Speer
- Robert Forster as Scott Thorson
- Beau Bridges as Cousin Hugh
- 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
Production
The film began its on-location shoot in Hawaii on March 15, 2010.[6] Post-production began on June 14, and continued into February 2011.[7] The film was originally scheduled to have a limited release on December 16, 2011 but was moved to November 23, 2011[8] and then November 18, 2011.[1][9]
The soundtrack exclusively uses Hawaiian music, featuring artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi.[10]
Reception
The Descendants has received widespread critical acclaim. The film scored an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "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, indicating universal acclaim. Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four star rating. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film a full four star rating, his second of the year, proclaiming the movie a near masterpiece. George Clooney and Shailene Woodley have both received acclaim for their performances.
References
External links
- ^ a b c "'Descendants' gets earlier bow: Clooney starrer beats Thanksgiving glut with Nov. 18 rollout". Variety. September 7, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
{{cite news}}:|archive-url=is malformed: liveweb (help) - ^ a b c d "'The Descendants' (2011): Production Credits". Baseline / All Media Guide / The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
{{cite web}}:|archive-url=is malformed: liveweb (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Descendants (2011)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Bailey, Cameron. "Special Presentation: 'The Descendants': Alexander Payne". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
{{cite web}}:|archive-url=is malformed: liveweb (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "'The Descendants' (2011): Acting Credits". Baseline / All Media Guide / The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
{{cite web}}:|archive-url=is malformed: liveweb (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ 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.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Fischbach, Bob (July 18, 2010). "Payne busy editing Hawaii family drama". Omaha World Herald. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Release Date Moves: Searchlight's 'The Descendants', CBS Films' 'The Woman In Black'". Deadline.com. Mail.com Media. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
{{cite news}}:|archive-url=is malformed: liveweb (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
foxsearchlightwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "'The Descendants' Soundtrack Announced". FilmMusicReporter.com. October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.