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Cast

George Clooney
as Matt King

Shailene Woodley
as Alexandra King

Amara Miller
as Scottie King

Beau Bridges
as Cousin Hugh

Nick Krause
as Sid

Patti Hastie
as Elizabeth King

Robert Forster
as Scott Thorson

Judy Greer
as Julie Speer

Matthew Lillard
as Brian Speer

Grace A. Cruz
as Scottie's Teacher

Kim Gennaula
as School Counselor

Karen Kuioka Hironaga
as Barb Higgins

Carmen Kaichi
as Lani Higgins

Kaui Hart Hemmings
as Matt's Secretary Noe

Matt Corboy
as Cousin Ralph

Matt Esecson
as Cousin Hal

Michael Ontkean
as Cousin Milo

Stanton Johnston
as Cousin Stan

Jonathan McManus
as Cousin Six

Hugh Foster
as Cousin Wink

Tiare R. Finney
as Cousin Connie

Tom McTigue
as Cousin Dave

Milt [Lewis] Kogan
as Dr. Johnston

Mary Birdsong
as Kai Mitchell

Rob Huebel
as Mark Mitchell

Laird Hamilton
as Troy Cook

Aileen "Boo" Arnold
as Dorm Supervisor

Esther Kang
as Alex's Roommate

Melissa Kim
as Alex's Drunken Friend

Barbara Lee Southern
as Alice "Tutu" Thorson

Celia Kenney
as Reina

Matthew Reese
as Buzz

Zoel Turnbull
as Hotel Clerk

Linda Rose Herman
as Grief Counselor

Scott Michael Morgan
as Barry Thorson

Darryl K. Gonzales
as Tahiti Nui Singer (Kanak Attack)

Koko Kanealii
as Tahiti Nui Singer (Kanak Attack)

Romey "Keola" Yokotake
as Tahiti Nui Singer (Kanak Attack)

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News & Interviews for The Descendants

Critic Reviews for The Descendants

Audience Reviews for The Descendants

• Jun 16, 2016

  Boring and vacuous. Would have been better if the story was not focused on Matt (George Clooney) but an Arrested Development style ensemble examination of the whole family. Shouldn't have won a writing Oscar. Watch for the shots of Hawaii.
  _kelly . Super Reviewer
• Mar 27, 2016

  A smartly written comedy-drama, The Descendants is both funny and touching in it's dialogue, acting and direction, never afraid to truly show the more uglier parts of humanity in it's truthfulness.
  Matthew M Super Reviewer
• May 27, 2015

  Clooney is an unlikely lawyer in Hawaii preparing for the deal of the century when his wife goes into a coma through an boating accident. What happens next, presented in a touching family drama kind of way, is the interpersonal family business of burying the dead, warts and all. Not bad, and a depiction of Hawaii not usually seen.
  Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
• Jan 09, 2014

  The following review contains spoilers. Payne is a director that has never connected with me so much as he has done with others, but I do not fail at recognizing his sheer talent at tackling complex emotional subjects with an accuracy that few directors in Hollywood have succeeded at treating given his maturity. <i>The Descendants</i> had multiple risks of falling into a generic and clichéd treatment of an already overused dramatic story about the reconstruction of a family while facing the imminent loss of a close relative, but makes a superb characterization of each member of the King family. The film could also have failed at mixing correctly the drama genre with comedic relief (mostly provided by the character Sid), but Payne smartly presents characters to which we may first build a prejudiced perspective for then letting the characters talk for presenting their emotional backgrounds. In this way, we are first introduced to Alexandra as a foul-mouthed, alcoholic and insensitive daughter, and we meet Sid as a "Dumb & Dumber" kind of character, uttering lines for comedic relief and with an intentionally funny physiognomy, but then we discover that Alexandra is a disappointed teenager with a lack of a male family authority in her life and with no parental figures to support her, and Sid is a kid with exactly the same lack of a father figure that disguises his problems pretending that everything is OK. Despite his emotional insensibility towards Elizabeth's imminent death, he has feelings of authentic human value and found a much needed comfort zone in Matt King's family, the family that he probably doesn't have. Even if distanced from the completely refreshing irreverence of <i>Sideways</i> (Payne's best film yet) and from the complexity of the analysis of <i>About Schmidt</i>, with a plot that offers nothing that is actually daring, <i>The Descendants</i> combines great expertise at shooting wonderful filming locations with solid performances and a mature treatment of topics difficult to deal with. Adding comedy is one of the director's trademarks, and that was a huge risk here, but not in Payne's agenda. Even if the whole subject of selling the family's land comes as a secondary background to show Matt King's successful transformation at valuing his family and the heritage left by his ancestors, a topic that acquires not the same significance that the family reconstruction topic had, the film offers valuable lessons in between. I loved the metaphor of the land suggesting that Matt and his family where the descendants, but also that whatever we do now, our descendants will be always indirectly involved. It is how we decide to transform our family today that will have a permanent butterfly effect for our "descendant" generations to come. Filmwise, it is not about if the story has already been told or not. It is about how you tell it. 73/100
  Edgar C Super Reviewer

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