The Descendants
2011 · Movie · R · 115 min · ★ 6.8 · 86% critics
After a sudden accident leaves his wife on life support, a busy father in Hawaii is forced to step up for his two troubled daughters. As they travel across the islands, he confronts painful truths about their family and faces a high-stakes decision tied to a long-held piece of land.
Based on The Descendants
Also known as Les Descendants
Where to watch
Streaming on Hulu and Disney+ — or rent from $2.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2011
- Release date
- 2011-09-09
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 86/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (3,069 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a bittersweet, character-driven family story about grief, forgiveness, and responsibility with some humor along the way; Not for you if you dislike slow, talky dramas like Sideways.
Pros: heartfelt family drama; strong lead performances; bittersweet humor | Cons: predictable beats; uneven narration; tone can feel bland
Themes
- daughter
- infidelity
- hawaii
- father-in-law
- beach house
- boating accident
- estate
- dying mother
- teenage daughter
- trustee
- trust fund
- wild girl
- +3 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 2012
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award — Best Film · 2011
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 2012 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 2012 · nominated
Show all 8 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 2012 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 2012 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2012 · nominated
Cast & crew
George Clooney
as Matt King
Shailene Woodley
as Alexandra King
Amara Miller
as Scottie King
Nick Krause
as Sid
Patricia Hastie
as Elizabeth King
- GC
Grace A. Cruz
as Scottie's Teacher
- KG
Kim Gennaula
as School Counselor
- KH
Karen Kuioka Hironaga
as Barb Higgins
- CK
Carmen Kaichi
as Lani Higgins
Kaui Hart Hemmings
as Matt's Secretary Noe
Directed by Alexander Payne