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IMDbPro

The Descendants

  • 20112011
  • RR
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
242K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,151
73
George Clooney in The Descendants (2011)
A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.
Play trailer2:21
10 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDrama
A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
242K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,151
73
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Alexander Payne
    • Writers
      • Alexander Payne(screenplay)
      • Nat Faxon(screenplay)
      • Jim Rash(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Shailene Woodley
      • Amara Miller
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Alexander Payne
    • Writers
      • Alexander Payne(screenplay)
      • Nat Faxon(screenplay)
      • Jim Rash(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Shailene Woodley
      • Amara Miller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 521User reviews
    • 548Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 65 wins & 148 nominations total

    Videos10

    International Version
    Trailer 2:21
    International Version
    TV Spot
    Trailer 1:08
    TV Spot
    The Descendants: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:18
    The Descendants: Trailer #1
    'The Descendants' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:40
    'The Descendants' | Anniversary Mashup
    The Descendants
    Clip 1:23
    The Descendants
    The Descendants
    Clip 1:24
    The Descendants
    The Descendants
    Clip 0:41
    The Descendants
    The Descendants
    Clip 0:42
    The Descendants
    "Story"
    Featurette 3:46
    "Story"
    What Roles Has Shailene Woodley Missed Out On?
    Video 3:04
    What Roles Has Shailene Woodley Missed Out On?

    Photos168

    Shailene Woodley in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney in The Descendants (2011)
    Shailene Woodley in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney in The Descendants (2011)
    Judy Greer in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, and Nick Krause in The Descendants (2011)
    Judy Greer and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney and Alexander Payne in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney in The Descendants (2011)
    Alexander Payne in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Nick Krause, and Amara Miller in The Descendants (2011)
    George Clooney in The Descendants (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Matt King
    Shailene Woodley
    Shailene Woodley
    • Alexandra King
    Amara Miller
    Amara Miller
    • Scottie King
    Nick Krause
    Nick Krause
    • Sid
    Patricia Hastie
    Patricia Hastie
    • Elizabeth King
    Grace A. Cruz
    • Scottie's Teacher
    Kim Gennaula
    • School Counselor
    Karen Kuioka Hironaga
    • Barb Higgins
    Carmen Kaichi
    • Lani Higgins
    Kaui Hart Hemmings
    Kaui Hart Hemmings
    • Matt's Secretary Noe
    Beau Bridges
    Beau Bridges
    • Cousin Hugh
    Matt Corboy
    Matt Corboy
    • Cousin Ralph
    Matt Esecson
    • Cousin Hal
    Michael Ontkean
    Michael Ontkean
    • Cousin Milo
    Stanton Johnston
    • Cousin Stan
    Jon McManus
    • Cousin Six
    • (as Jonathan McManus)
    Hugh Foster
    • Cousin Wink
    Tiare R. Finney
    Tiare R. Finney
    • Cousin Connie
    • Director
      • Alexander Payne
    • Writers
      • Alexander Payne(screenplay)
      • Nat Faxon(screenplay)
      • Jim Rash(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Matt King describes his inherited wealth, he says, "I don't want my daughters growing up entitled and spoiled. And I agree with my father; you give your children enough money to do something but not enough to do nothing." This is based on a well-known quote from billionaire investor Warren Buffett in a 1986 Fortune magazine interview. "Setting up his heirs with a lifetime supply of food stamps just because they came out of the right womb can be harmful for them and is an antisocial act. To him the perfect amount to leave children is 'enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.'"
    • Goofs
      The resort models shown could not be built. Kaua'i's "coconut tree" building law states that new construction cannot be more than 4 stories tall.

      But this Princeville hotel is a real hotel because it's built on a hill. The Top floor is at ground level and the hotel is built with multiple stories going down to the Ocean.
    • Quotes

      Matt King: I don't want my daughters growing up entitled and spoiled. And I agree with my father - you give your children enough money to do something but not enough to do nothing.

    • Connections
      Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.17 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Ka Makani Ka'ili Aloha
      Written by Matthew Kane

      Arranged and Performed by Gabby Pahinui

      Courtesy of Panini Records

    User reviews521

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Was honestly expecting more
    This is a great movie, no doubt about it. But given the combination of golden globe, Oscar buzz and positive feedback on IMDb, I expected much more.

    The story and the premise of the movie is perfect. In fact, the tagline caught my attention enormously: "trying to reconnect with daughters." That is exactly the type of movie I like. Instantly, I could tell this was a movie about character development and human connection, usually the type of movies with the greatest potential.

    Unfortunately, it was merely decent, but not special. It felt like the movie built up so much potential, but failed to release it at a certain point during the movie. The whole movie, for me, felt too introductory in nature. Not necessarily the plot, because the plot does evolve, but the overall "feel" of the movie felt preliminary to a bigger and more dramatic event which never happened.

    It's not easy to explain my feelings towards the movie because the fault wasn't necessarily technical or specific. But it did linger around and distracted my viewing somewhat. I felt like there was still more to explore in both Clooney's character and the character of his daughters. Also, I think this element alone impacted on Clooney's performance. His performance was good, definitely, but again, because I felt like there was more to be explored, naturally, I also felt like his performance could have been added to (but not necessarily improved).

    Given the Oscar buzz of this movie, I have to compare it to other movies of a similar nature. And unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was sufficient connection between the characters...although the potential to reach that connection was established, it was not acted upon in my opinion. Unfortunately I have to say there have been better developed "re-establishing connection" movies.

    In summary, this is an enjoyable movie, but it is missing some important elements which deteriorates the viewing experience to some extent.
    helpful•228
    115
    • warthogjump
    • Jan 14, 2012

    FAQ1

    • The movie is based on Kaui Hart Hemmings's debut novel. Have any other adaptations of debut novels had this much success?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tình thân
    • Filming locations
      • Hanalei, Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
    • Production companies
      • Fox Searchlight Pictures
      • Ad Hominem Enterprises
      • Dune Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $82,584,160
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,190,096
      • Nov 20, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $177,243,185
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Datasat
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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