THE DESCENDANTS
Year: 2011
USA: Fox Searchlight
UK: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie, Kaleigh Kennedy, Grace A Cruz, Kim Gennaula, Karen Kuioka Hironaga, Carmen Kaichi, Kaui Hart Hemmings, Matt Corboy, Matt Esecson, Michael Ontkean, Stanton Johnston, Jonathan McManus, Hugh Foster, Tiare R Finney, Tom McTigue, Milt Kogan, Laird Hamilton
Director: Alexander Payne
Country: USA
USA & UK: 115 mins
USA Rated: R for language including some sexual references
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language
USA Release Date: 9 December 2011
USA Release Date: 18 November 2011 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 27 January 2011
Synopsis
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, 10 year-old precocious Scottie (Amara Miller) and rebellious 17 year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off 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.
When Alexandra drops the bombshell that her mother was in the midst of a romantic fling at the time of the accident, Matt has to take a whole new look at his life, not to mention his legacy, during a week of momentous decisions that includes tracking down his wife’s lover.
From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning SIDEWAYS.