The Descendants

2011 drama film directed by Alexander Payne

This article is about the 2011 film. For the 2015 Iranian film of the same name, see The Descendants (2015 film). For other uses, see The Descendants (disambiguation).

The Descendants

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Alexander Payne
Screenplay by|

* Alexander Payne
* Nat Faxon
* Jim Rash

Based on| The Descendants
by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Produced by|

* Jim Burke
* Alexander Payne
* Jim Taylor

Starring|

* George Clooney
* Shailene Woodley
* Beau Bridges
* Judy Greer

Cinematography| Phedon Papamichael
Edited by| Kevin Tent

Production
company

Ad Hominem Enterprises

Distributed by| Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release dates

* September 10, 2011 (2011-09-10) (TIFF)
* November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18) (United States[1])

Running time

| 115 minutes[2]
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $20 million[3]
Box office| $177.2 million[4]

The Descendants is a 2011 American tragicomedy film[5][6] directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the main role, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller in her film debut, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Michael Ontkean, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forster, and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on November 18, 2011,[1] after premiering at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2011.[7]

Tracing the journey of attorney and land baron Matt King, who struggles with unexpected occurrences in his monotonous life, The Descendants was a critical and financial success, grossing $177 million against a $20 million budget and receiving acclaim for the performances of Clooney and Woodley, Payne's direction and writing, and Kevin Tent's editing. The film was nominated for five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, and Best Actor for Clooney, winning one for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won two Golden Globe Awards; Best Picture – Drama and Best Actor – Drama for Clooney.

## Plot

[edit]

Matthew "Matt" King is a Honolulu-based attorney and the sole trustee of a family trust of 25,000 acres (100 km2) of pristine land on Kauai. The land has great monetary value, but is also a family legacy. While Matt has ably managed his own finances (as his father did), most of his cousins have squandered their inheritances. With the trust expiring in seven years due to the rule against perpetuities, the King clan is pressuring Matt to sell the land for hundreds of millions of dollars. Amidst these discussions, a boating accident has rendered Matt's wife, Elizabeth, comatose. With Elizabeth hospitalized, Matt is forced to cope with his two troubled daughters, 10-year-old Scottie, who seeks attention by bullying other children, and 17-year-old Alex, who has a history of substance abuse and is away at a private boarding school on the Big Island. Elizabeth's coma is determined irreversible and her living will directs all life support be discontinued. When Matt tells Alex, she reveals that Elizabeth was having an affair, which had caused a major rift between mother and daughter.

Close family friends, Kai and Mark Mitchell, tell Matt that Elizabeth was unhappy and loved Brian Speer, a real estate agent. She also wanted a divorce. After Matt informs friends about Elizabeth's condition so they can say goodbye, he decides Brian should have an opportunity to do the same. He and the girls, along with Alex's slacker friend Sid, travel to Kauai to find Brian. While there, Matt's cousin, Hugh, mentions that Brian is brother-in-law to Don Hollitzer, the developer to whom the majority of the family wants to sell the land. Brian stands to make a small fortune from sales commissions for the properties that will be developed on the land. Matt and his daughters find Brian vacationing with his family at an oceanside cabin. Matt privately confronts Brian and informs him Elizabeth is dying, and offers him an opportunity to say goodbye. Matt asks Brian if Elizabeth loved him, and he says she did, but he only considered her a fling and still loves his wife and children. Brian then apologizes to Matt for the pain he caused and asks he not tell his wife.

Frustrated and fragile from recent events, Matt asks the doctor to explain Elizabeth's inevitable death to Scottie. Elizabeth's father, Scott, admonishes Matt for failing to be a more generous and loving husband. Withholding his wife's affair, Matt agrees with him, but Sid and Alex unexpectedly defend Matt. At the King family meeting, Matt overrules the majority vote of his cousins, preferring to keep the land and find a way around the rule against perpetuities. Shocked, Hugh warns Matt that the family will take legal action, but Matt is undeterred.

After learning about Brian's affair, his wife, Julie, comes to the hospital. She tearfully tells a comatose Elizabeth that she wants to hate her for "trying to destroy" her family, but that she has to forgive her for her own peace of mind. Matt comes to terms with his wife's infidelity and impending death. He kisses her goodbye, followed by Alex and Scottie. After she dies, they scatter Elizabeth's ashes in the ocean off Waikiki.

Later, Matt, Scottie and Alex eat ice cream and watch March of the Penguins'

## Cast

[edit]

* George Clooney as Matthew "Matt" King
* Shailene Woodley as Alexandra "Alex" King
* Amara Miller as Scottie King
* Nick Krause as Sid
* Beau Bridges as Hugh King
* Judy Greer as Julie Speer
* Matthew Lillard as Brian Speer
* Robert Forster as Scott Thorson
* Patricia Hastie as Elizabeth King
* Mary Birdsong as Kai Mitchell
* Rob Huebel as Mark Mitchell
* Milt Kogan as Dr. Johnston
* Laird Hamilton as Troy
* Michael Ontkean as Cousin Milo
* Matt Corboy as Kaiba

## Production

[edit]

View of the beach used in the film

The film began its on-location shoot in Hawaii on March 15, 2010.[8] Most of the film was shot in Honolulu and around Hanalei Bay.[9] The location used as Matt King's house lacked the banyan tree described in the book; the filmmakers solved the issue by transplanting a banyan.[9] For the scene where the King family drives up to a ridge to look over their land, the film used a 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) private cattle ranch on the south shore of Kauai, Kipu Ranch. Kaui Hart Hemmings, the author of the novel on which the movie was based, had a cameo as Matt King's secretary.

The private boarding school attended by Alex King was depicted as Mid-Pacific Institute, which is in Honolulu, Oʻahu. Kaui Hart Hemmings stated that Hawaii Preparatory Academy, which is located in Kamuela, Hawaiʻi (the Big Island), was the inspiration for the private boarding school.[10]

Postproduction began on June 14, and continued into February 2011.[11] The film was screened at the Telluride, Toronto[12] and New York film festivals and was originally scheduled to have a limited release on December 16, 2011, but was moved to November 23, 2011,[13] and then November 18, 2011.[1][14]

The soundtrack uses Hawaiian music, featuring artists including Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, Makana, Dennis Kamakahi, and Danny Carvalho. It was released by Sony Classical Records on November 15.[15]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The Descendants opened in North America on November 16, 2011, in a limited release in 29 theaters, and grossed $1,190,096, averaging $41,038 per theater and ranking 10th at the box office. The film then had its wide release on December 9 in 876 theaters, and grossed $4,380,138, averaging $5,000 per theater and ranking seventh at the box office. The film was in cinemas for 156 days and its widest release in the United States was 2,038 theaters. The film ended up earning $82,584,160 domestically and $94,659,025 internationally for a total of $177,243,185.[4]

### Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 268 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Funny, moving, and beautifully acted, The Descendants captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

### Top ten lists

[edit]

The Descendants has appeared on these critics' top-10 lists for the best films of 2011:

Critic  | Publication  | Rank

|
|

Todd McCarthy | The Hollywood Reporter | 1st[19]
Betsy Sharkey | Los Angeles Times | 1st[19]
Don Kaye | MSN Movies | 1st[19]
Stephen Holden | The New York Times | 1st[19]
Marshall Fine | Hollywood & Fine | 1st[19]
Joe Neumaier | Daily News | 2nd[19]
Ann Hornaday | The Washington Post | 2nd[20]
Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | 3rd[21]
Corben Carpenter | Corben Carpenter's Top Ten Lists | 3rd[19]
Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune | 4th[19]
Anne Thompson | IndieWire | 4th[19]
Peter Rainer | The Christian Science Monitor | 5th[19]
Lisa Schwarzbaum | Entertainment Weekly | 6th[19]
Sean Axmaker | MSN Movies | 6th[19]
David Denby | The New Yorker | 7th[19]
Peter Hartlaub | San Francisco Chronicle | 7th[19]
Jaime N. Christley | Slant Magazine | 7th[19]
Peter Paras | E! Online | 7th[22]
Richard T. Jameson | MSN Movies | 9th[19]
— | MTV | 9th[19]
Jack Gregson | ScreenGeeks UK | 9th[19]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Academy Awards | February 26, 2012 | Best Picture | Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Nominated  | [23]
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Actor | George Clooney | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash | Won
Best Film Editing | Kevin Tent  | Nominated
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences Awards | 2012  | Best Foreign Film  | Alexander Payne, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor  | Nominated  | [24]
American Film Institute | 2011 | Movies of the Year  |  | Won  | [25]
Art Directors Guild | 2012  | Excellence in Contemporary Film | Jane Anne Stewart  | Nominated  | [26]
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts | January 27, 2012 | Best Film – International |  | Nominated  | [27]
Best Screenplay – International | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Best Actor – International | George Clooney  | Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics | December 11, 2011 | Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated  | [28]
Best Use of Music in a Film  |  | Nominated
British Academy Film Awards | February 12, 2012 | Best Film | Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor  | Nominated  | [29]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Casting Society of America | 2012  | Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Big Budget Drama Feature  | John Jackson, John McAlary  | Nominated  | [30]
Chicago Film Critics Association | December 19, 2011 | Best Picture |  | Nominated  | [31]
[32]
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Most Promising Performer | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 12, 2012 | Best Picture |  | Nominated  | [33]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Won
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Best Young Actor/Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Best Acting Ensemble | Cast | Nominated
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society | 2011  | Best Film |  | Nominated  | [34]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Breakthrough Performance  | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle | 2011  | Best Picture |  | Won  | [35]
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Won
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won
Golden Globes | January 15, 2012 | Best Picture – Drama |  | Won  | [36]
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Actor – Drama | George Clooney  | Won
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Grammy Awards | February 10, 2013 | Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media |  | Nominated  | [37]
Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2012 | Best Film |  | Nominated  | [38]
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Supporting Female | Shailene Woodley  | Won
Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 11, 2011 | Best Film |  | Won  | [39]
Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
MTV Movie Awards | June 3, 2012 | Best Breakthrough Performance | Shailene Woodley  | Won  | [40]
National Board of Review | 2011 | Top 10 Films |  | Won  | [41]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Won
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Won
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won
New York Film Critics Online | December 11, 2011 | Best Screenplay  | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won  | [42]
Online Film Critics Society | January 2, 2012 | Best Picture |  | Nominated  | [43]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival | January 5–16, 2012  | Chairman's Award  | George Clooney (Also for The Ides of March) | Won  | [44]
Producers Guild of America | January 21, 2012 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor  | Nominated  | [45]
Screen Actors Guild | January 29, 2012 | Best Ensemble | Beau Bridges, George Clooney, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Shailene Woodley  | Nominated  | [46]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Satellite Awards | December 18, 2011 | Satellite Award for Best Film |  | Won  | [47]
Best Actor | George Clooney  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress | Judy Greer | Nominated
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won
Best Editing |  | Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 5, 2011 | Best Actor | George Clooney  | Won  | [48]
Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  | Won
Best Film |  | Nominated
Best Director | Alexander Payne  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress | Shailene Woodley  | Nominated

## References

[edit]

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8. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (March 15, 2010). "Alexander Payne's 'The Descendants' Begins Shooting". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
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10. ^ Cooper, Jeanne (November 17, 2011). "'The Descendants' author highlights Hawaii's less-exotic side". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
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26. ^ Kilday, Gregg (January 3, 2012). "Art Directors Nominate Movies as Different as 'Harry Potter' and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
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28. ^ Pond, Steve (December 11, 2011). "Martin Scorsese Named Best Director by Boston Film Critics". TheWrap. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
29. ^ "Film in 2012". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
30. ^ THR Staff (August 20, 2012). "Casting Society of America Announces Artios Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
31. ^ "Tree of Life Leads CFCA Nominations with 7; Descendants, Drive Follow with 6". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
32. ^ "CFCA Names Tree of Life Best Picture". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
33. ^ Website Administrator (December 13, 2011). "17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2012)". Critics' Choice Awards. Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
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35. ^ "Florida Film Critics swoon for 'The Descendants'". The Miami Herald. Miami Herald Media. December 19, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
36. ^ Germain, David (December 15, 2011). "The Artist Leads 2011 Golden Globe Nominations With Six Bids". Time. Retrieved January 16, 2012 - via Associated Press.
37. ^ Brooks, Brian (December 6, 2012). "'The Hunger Games' And 'The Muppets' Top Grammy Awards Movie Nominees". Movieline. PMC. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
38. ^ Knegt, Peter; Greene, Steve (November 8, 2011). ""Take Shelter" and "The Artist" Lead Spirit Award Nominations". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
39. ^ "37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
40. ^ Prinzivalli, Fallon (June 3, 2012). "Shailene Woodley Takes Breakthrough Performance At MTV Movie Awards". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
41. ^ Coyle, Jake (December 1, 2011). "Scorsese's 'Hugo' Named Best Film By NBR Awards – From the Wires". Salon. Salon Media Group. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
42. ^ Pond, Steve (December 11, 2011). "'The Artist' Wins Another: NY Film Critics Online". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
43. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 26, 2011). "'Tree of Life' leads with 7 nods from Online Film Critics Society". HitFix. Uproxx. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
44. ^ Pond, Steve (November 18, 2012). "Clooney gets Palm Springs film festival Chairman's award". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
45. ^ Mullens, Kelly; Geldmacher, Brittany (January 3, 2012). "PGA Announces Theatrical Motion Picture And Long-Form Television Nominations For 2012 PGA Awards". Producers Guild of America. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
46. ^ Sheehan, Paul (December 14, 2011). "'The Help' leads with four SAG Awards nominations". Gold Derby. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
47. ^ "2011 Winners". International Press Academy. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
48. ^ Gordon, Tim (December 5, 2011). "The 2011 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Retrieved January 16, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Descendants (film).

* The Descendants at IMDb
* The Descendants at Box Office Mojo
* The Descendants at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Descendants at Metacritic
* The Descendants at The Numbers

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Alexander Payne

* The Passion of Martin (1990)
* Citizen Ruth (1996)
* Election (1999)
* About Schmidt (2002)
* Sideways (2004)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Nebraska (2013)
* Downsizing (2017)
* The Holdovers (2023)

Awards for The Descendants

* v
* t
* e

AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Picture

* Lantana (2001)
* About Schmidt (2002)
* Mystic River (2003)
* Ray (2004)
* Capote (2005)
* The Last King of Scotland (2006)
* The Savages (2007)
* Frost/Nixon (2008)
* Invictus (2009)
* The King's Speech (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* The Theory of Everything (2014)
* Spotlight (2015)
* Loving (2016)
* Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
* Green Book (2018)
* The Irishman (2019)
* The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2020)
* Belfast (2021)
* Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
* Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
* A Complete Unknown (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film

* Dances With Wolves (1990)
* JFK (1991)
* Unforgiven (1992)
* Schindler's List (1993)
* Pulp Fiction (1994)
* Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
* Fargo (1996)
* L.A. Confidential (1997)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998)
* American Beauty (1999)
* Traffic (2000)
* A Beautiful Mind (2001)
* Chicago (2002)
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
* Million Dollar Baby (2004)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* United 93 (2006)
* No Country for Old Men (2007)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
* Up in the Air (2009)
* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Lincoln (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
* Spotlight (2015)
* Moonlight (2016)
* The Shape of Water (2017)
* A Star Is Born (2018)
* 1917 (2019)
* Nomadland (2020)
* The Power of the Dog (2021)
* Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
* The Holdovers (2023)
* Anora (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film

* Fargo (1996)
* Titanic (1997)
* Shakespeare in Love (1998)
* Magnolia (1999)
* Traffic (2000)
* Amélie (2001)
* Adaptation (2002)
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
* Sideways (2004)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* The Departed (2006)
* No Country for Old Men (2007)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
* Up in the Air (2009)
* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Argo (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
* Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
* The Lobster (2016)
* Dunkirk (2017)
* The Favourite (2018)
* Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
* First Cow (2020)
* The Power of the Dog (2021)
* Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
* The Boy and the Heron (2023)
* The Beast (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama

1943–1975|

* The Song of Bernadette (1943)
* Going My Way (1944)
* The Lost Weekend (1945)
* The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
* Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
* Johnny Belinda / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
* All the King's Men (1949)
* Sunset Boulevard (1950)
* A Place in the Sun (1951)
* The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
* The Robe (1953)
* On the Waterfront (1954)
* East of Eden (1955)
* Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
* The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
* The Defiant Ones (1958)
* Ben-Hur (1959)
* Spartacus (1960)
* The Guns of Navarone (1961)
* Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
* The Cardinal (1963)
* Becket (1964)
* Doctor Zhivago (1965)
* A Man for All Seasons (1966)
* In the Heat of the Night (1967)
* The Lion in Winter (1968)
* Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
* Love Story (1970)
* The French Connection (1971)
* The Godfather (1972)
* The Exorcist (1973)
* Chinatown (1974)
* One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

1976–present|

* Rocky (1976)
* The Turning Point (1977)
* Midnight Express (1978)
* Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
* Ordinary People (1980)
* On Golden Pond (1981)
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
* Terms of Endearment (1983)
* Amadeus (1984)
* Out of Africa (1985)
* Platoon (1986)
* The Last Emperor (1987)
* Rain Man (1988)
* Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
* Dances With Wolves (1990)
* Bugsy (1991)
* Scent of a Woman (1992)
* Schindler's List (1993)
* Forrest Gump (1994)
* Sense and Sensibility (1995)
* The English Patient (1996)
* Titanic (1997)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998)
* American Beauty (1999)
* Gladiator (2000)
* A Beautiful Mind (2001)
* The Hours (2002)
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
* The Aviator (2004)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* Babel (2006)
* Atonement (2007)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
* Avatar (2009)
* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Argo (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Boyhood (2014)
* The Revenant (2015)
* Moonlight (2016)
* Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
* Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
* 1917 (2019)
* Nomadland (2020)
* The Power of the Dog (2021)
* The Fabelmans (2022)
* Oppenheimer (2023)
* The Brutalist (2024)

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Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture

* No Country for Old Men (2007)
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
* The Hurt Locker (2009)
* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Argo (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Boyhood (2014)
* Spotlight (2015)
* La La Land (2016)
* Lady Bird (2017)
* The Favourite (2018)
* Parasite (2019)
* Nomadland (2020)
* The Power of the Dog (2021)
* Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
* Poor Things (2023)
* Anora (2024)

* v
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Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film

1975–2000|

* Dog Day Afternoon / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
* Network / Rocky (1976)
* Star Wars (1977)
* Coming Home (1978)
* Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
* Raging Bull (1980)
* Atlantic City (1981)
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
* Terms of Endearment (1983)
* Amadeus (1984)
* Brazil (1985)
* Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
* Hope and Glory (1987)
* Little Dorrit (1988)
* Do the Right Thing (1989)
* Goodfellas (1990)
* Bugsy (1991)
* Unforgiven (1992)
* Schindler's List (1993)
* Pulp Fiction (1994)
* Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
* Secrets & Lies (1996)
* L.A. Confidential (1997)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998)
* The Insider (1999)
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

2001–present|

* In the Bedroom (2001)
* About Schmidt (2002)
* American Splendor (2003)
* Sideways (2004)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
* There Will Be Blood (2007)
* WALL-E (2008)
* The Hurt Locker (2009)
* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Amour (2012)
* Gravity / Her (2013)
* Boyhood (2014)
* Spotlight (2015)
* Moonlight (2016)
* Call Me by Your Name (2017)
* Roma (2018)
* Parasite (2019)
* Small Axe (2020)
* Drive My Car (2021)
* Everything Everywhere All at Once / Tár (2022)
* The Zone of Interest (2023)
* Anora (2024)

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Satellite Award for Best Film

Drama
(1996–2009, 2018–present)|

* Fargo (1996)
* Titanic (1997)
* The Thin Red Line (1998)
* The Insider (1999)
* Traffic (2000)
* In the Bedroom (2001)
* Far from Heaven (2002)
* In America (2003)
* Hotel Rwanda (2004)
* Brokeback Mountain (2005)
* The Departed (2006)
* No Country for Old Men (2007)
* Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
* The Hurt Locker (2009)
* If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
* Ford v Ferrari (2019)
* Nomadland (2020)
* Belfast (2021)
* Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
* Oppenheimer (2023)
* The Brutalist (2024)

Musical or Comedy
(1996–2009, 2018–present)|

* Evita (1996)
* As Good as It Gets (1997)
* Shakespeare in Love (1998)
* Being John Malkovich (1999)
* Nurse Betty (2000)
* Moulin Rouge! (2001)
* My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
* Lost in Translation (2003)
* Sideways (2004)
* Walk the Line (2005)
* Dreamgirls (2006)
* Juno (2007)
* Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
* Nine (2009)
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
* A Star Is Born (2018)
* Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
* The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
* tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
* Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
* The Holdovers (2023)
* Anora (2024)

Motion Picture
(2010–2017)|

* The Social Network (2010)
* The Descendants (2011)
* Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
* Spotlight (2015)
* La La Land / Manchester by the Sea (2016)
* God's Own Country / Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Independent
(2018)|

* BlacKkKlansman (2018)

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