The Descendants

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  • Opened November 18, 2011 
  • 1 hr 55 min
  • R | Langauge, including some sexual references.
  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+. More on child suitability

  • Native islander Matt King (George Clooney) lives with his family in Hawaii. Their world shatters when a tragic accident leaves his wife in a coma. Not only must Matt struggle with the stipulation in his wife's will that she be allowed to die with dignity, but he also faces pressure from relatives to sell their family's enormous land trust. Angry and terrified at the same time, Matt tries to be a good father to his young daughters, as they too try to cope with their mother's possible death. Full synopsis

  • Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges
  • Director: Alexander Payne
  • Genres: Comedy, Drama

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Fans say Go
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Critics say Must Go!
84 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

Must Go!
Sharply written and transparently honest.

by Nacho Baggo

When the same person writes, produces,and directs, it is a good one! This is more than true with the DESCENDANTS. Heart wrenching and playful scenes played out with enjoyable characters and a...

Must Go!
Amazing film on family dynamics, love, & forgiveness

by george_gordon

Best movie I've seen in a long time. Story and characters are so natural and nuanced and complex, struggling for dignity, flawed, utterly believable. Casting is brilliant across the board. Clooney as...

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Clooney's Most Likeable

by PECurls

Matt King is George Clooney's most likeable character yet. He is a father and husband having to come to grips with a life- altering tragic event and he (and we) don't know if he's up to the challenge....

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Critic Reviews

100
Wall Street Journal
| Joe Morgenstern

Rarely has a contemporary movie taken in so much life and revealed it with such depth of feeling. Read full review

100
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Steven Rea

Clooney has never been better, subtler, more deeply rooted in a performance than he is in The Descendants. And he's funny, too. Read full review

100
The Hollywood Reporter
| Todd McCarthy

After a five-year wait since "Sideways," Alexander Payne has made his best film yet with The Descendants. Ostensibly a study of loss and coping with a tragic situation, this wonderfully nuanced look at a father and two daughters dealing with the imminent death of his wife and their mother turns the miraculous trick of possibly being even funnier than it is moving. Read full review

100
Entertainment Weekly
| Owen Gleiberman

Another beautifully chiseled piece of filmmaking - sharp, funny, generous, and moving. Read full review

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George Clooney as Matt King, Shailene Woodley as Alexandra and Amara Miller as Scottie in "The Descendants."