The Descendants

Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
The Descendants Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Devastating, moving dramedy about death and forgiveness.

R 2011 115 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 8 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 20 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this quietly powerful George Clooney dramedy from the director of Election and Sideways careens between dark and light moments in a snap -- and some of the dark moments are really dark. Because of this heaviness and the movie's mature subject matter (death, infidelity), The Descendants is too much for younger teens and tweens, even though the cast prominently features a 10-year-old (who cusses) and her older teen sister (played by The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Shailene Woodley). There's also a fair amount of swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t") and some underage drinking, including one scene in which a teen girl is caught drunk.

Community Reviews

AG Fan Parent
AG Fan Parent Adult
February 23, 2013
age 11+

Amazing, no higher then PG-13!

Wow. I cannot have enough praise for this lovely, beautifully done, overall amazing movie. I love George Clooney, so me and my husband saw this in theaters days after its release. I couldn't believe how well-acted, magically crafted this movie could be. While the main issue is enough to make anyone nervous (man's wife is dying, and then he finds out she's cheating..... I get it, it sound like the absolute R), the jist of it is a remarkable PG-13 movie with a bit added swearing. Sure, sex is mentioned, but not a lot, and it's never done in any way at all. The messages in this movie are also amazing: (where do I start?) Matt, George's character, somehow manages to live through the cheating with his wife's death, and he even tells the guy she was cheating with to come see her because he thinks she would have wanted it. Shailene Woodley's character drinks, but only at the beginning, she soon shapes to be a very mature teenage girl who is an excellent mother-figure to 10-year-old Scottie, her sister. There are just so many great messages about coping through things and living beyond troubles, even when you want to hate someone. Scottie was mostly a comic relief, but she did a great job at that at was a fairly realistic fourth/fifth grade girl. I honestly love this movie so much I showed it my 9-year-old daughter, who mildly enjoyed it. She's allowed to see PG-13 movies, and this was not a step up from those. The swearing's bad, but everything else is fine for any kid over 10 or 11 who's seen a PG-13 movie. If you're not sure about this one, watch it first, as it's one different parents may read different ways. I, however, am in love.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
May 22, 2012
age 15+

Hmmm...

It was slow and predictable, but a good watch overall. Clooney is excellent as usual. The story was definitely sad but I kind of found the kids to be unlikable in this. Lots of strong language, including by a teenage girl which was a little disturbing. However, I loved how it was Hawaii themed, such gorgeous scenery. Acting was great and the actors chosen for the film was perfect. I would not watch again but it's definitely worth a look.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Real estate attorney Matt King (George Clooney) knows that he's never been the go-to parent for his two daughters, 10-year-old Scotty (Amara Miller), who's testing her boundaries with swearing and "mean girling," and 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), sent to boarding school after a bout with drugs and alcohol. Matt's wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie), has been there for the girls, but now she's lying in a coma after a motorboat accident. Matt and Elizabeth's marriage had been floundering, eroded by too much work and not enough togetherness; still, he loves her. So when Alexandra tells him that Elizabeth had been cheating, it all starts to feel like a pile-on. What now? Meanwhile, Matt's cousins eagerly await his decision on another matter: Will he agree to sell the family's land holdings -- inheritance from their Hawaiian royal ancestors -- to a developer?

Is It Any Good?

THE DESCENDANTS, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, unspools as if on island time, strolling barefoot on the beach with little regard to the clock. The voiceover is superfluous, and the tragic moments are rescued from the brink by humor that's sometimes too on the nose. It might be annoying, were it not for the fact that the film is also a transcendent, emotional powerhouse.

Lay the plots out on paper, and it's unbelievable how director Alexander Payne manages to cram them all in while ensuring that the movie's important moments remain authentic. Bravo! He doesn't hurry the layers as they pile on; he simply allows them to do as they will until the sum total suddenly, completely stuns. The biggest kudos belongs to the cast, who all seem to have simply decided to give themselves over to the characters. Even Clooney does away with his typical sophisticated swagger, clopping along on too-noisy flip-flops, wearing defiantly hokey Hawaiian shirts, and letting the gray settle in. It may be his most vulnerable role yet.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Descendants' messages. What is it saying about family? About the role of fathers? Are the characters intended to be role models?

  • How does the movie portray underage drinking? Are the consequences realistic?

Movie Details

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