THE DESCENDANTS Written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash 1 EXT. THE OCEAN - DAY 1 CLOSE ON a beautiful 40-YEAR-OLD WOMAN at the helm of a powerful SPEEDBOAT -- her hair tossed back by the wind, her mouth in a euphoric grin. FADE OUT. 2 CREDITS -- ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE 2 MATT (V.O.) My missionary ancestors came to the islands and told the Hawaiians to put on clothes, work hard, believe in Christ, and stop surfing and hula dancing. They made business deals along the way -- buying an island, or marrying a princess and inheriting her land. Now their descendants wear bikinis and running shorts, play beach volleyball and surf, and take up hula dancing. Hawai'i has always been a place of contradiction. 3 EXT. HONOLULU - DAY 3 VARIOUS SHOTS of Honolulu begin a pattern of montages to be interspersed throughout the film. MATT (V.O.) My friends on the mainland think just because I live in Hawai'i, I live in paradise. Like a permanent vacation -- we're all just out here drinking mai- tais, shaking our hips, and catching waves. Are they nuts? How can they possibly think our families are less screwed up, our heart attacks and cancers less fatal, our grief less devastating? Hell, I haven't been on a surfboard in fifteen years. 4 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 4 We ZOOM BACK from a panorama of Honolulu to find 50-year-old MATT KING seated amid DOCUMENTS atop a makeshift desk -- he has brought his work with him. (CONTINUED) 2. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 4 CONTINUED: 4 MATT (V.O.) For the last 23 days, I've been living in a "paradise" of IVs and urine bags and endotracheal tubes and six-month- old US magazines. Paradise. Paradise can go fuck itself. Matt looks up at the WOMAN we saw in the speedboat, now lying stiffly on an upright HOSPITAL BED, her head cocked to one side, a feeding tube in her nose, a ventilator in her trachea, IVs in her arm. MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) This is Elizabeth King, my wife. Twenty-three days ago she was launched from a powerboat during a race and hit her head, almost drowned. Now she's in a coma that scores 5 on the Glasgow scale and 3 on the Rancho Los Amigos scale, scores showing an extremely severe coma. Liz is very competitive. Whatever she does, she does to the fullest. 5 INT. NEUROLOGIST'S OFFICE - DAY 5 Matt is getting the current DIAGNOSIS. NEUROLOGIST She reacts non-purposefully to stimuli in a non-specific manner, but occasionally her responses are specific, though inconsistent. Her reflexes are primitive and often the same, regardless of stimuli presented... MATT (V.O.) It was exactly what Elizabeth used to accuse me of. 6 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 6 Matt continues to observe her. MATT (V.O.) Twenty-three days in a coma, and any day now the doctors will give me their final verdict if she's going to come out of it or not. Then I have a decision to make. Wait, that's wrong. Liz has a living will. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 3. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 6 CONTINUED: 6 MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) Like always, she makes her own decisions. But I know she's going to pull through. His CELLPHONE RINGS. MATT (CONT'D) Hi, Noe, what's up? NOE (ON PHONE) Matt, you have a call from Scottie's teacher. She says it's urgent. MATT Yeah, sure. Put her on. 7 INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY 7 A SCRAPBOOK shows PHOTOS OF ELIZABETH lying in her hospital bed. The compositions are odd, the ANGLES uncomfortably CLOSE. WIDE -- Matt confers with fifth-grade teacher MS. Hayashi and school counselor MRS. THULL. MS. HAYASHI We just don't think these photographs are appropriate for Scottie to be sharing with her classmates. Some of them went home quite disturbed, and we got some angry calls from parents. MATT Yeah, she's sort of been going to town with the whole picture-taking thing, but I had no idea -- MS. HAYASHI I can't tell you how my heart goes out to you and your family, but Scottie just hasn't been herself. Principal Cruz agrees with us that it maybe would be better for Scottie to remain at home with you during this difficult time. MATT Home. See, I would think that sticking to her normal routine would be the best thing for her -- you know, keep her occupied. I wouldn't really know how to... (MORE) (CONTINUED) 4. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 7 CONTINUED: 7 MATT (CONT'D) I mean, I've kind of got my hands full. And her sister's away at school on the Big Island. I don't think Scottie would really want to hang out with me when she could be with her friends and people like you who specialize in children. MRS. THULL Mr. King, we see this every day -- children acting out at school when something's wrong at home. And your family is facing a devastating crisis. Have you been engaging Scottie in really talking about what's going on? Encouraging her to express her feelings? That's crucial. MATT (No) Oh, yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. SCOTTIE (O.S.) (singing) This shit is bananas. B-a-n-a-n-a-s. This shit is bananas. They look over to see -- TEN-YEAR-OLD SCOTTIE KING -- EARBUDS in place and in her own world, DANCING just outside the classroom door. A JANITOR down the hall eyes her suspiciously. SCOTTIE (CONT'D) This shit is bananas. B-a-n-a-n-a-s! Matt stares aghast at this specimen called his daughter. The ladies glance between Scottie and Matt, wondering when, or whether, he'll intervene. Finally -- MS. HAYASHI Scottie, that is not a good choice! Are you making a good choice? Scottie remains oblivious. Ms. Hayashi rises to her feet. MATT (realizing) Yeah, Scottie, come on. Knock it off. 5. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 8 EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DAY 8 Matt leads Scottie to the car. MATT What's the matter with you? Showing those pictures of Mom for your art project? SCOTTIE I'm a photographer, Dad, a real photographer. MATT No, you're not. You're overdoing it is what you're doing. SCOTTIE I saw it in a book. Some famous photographer lady took pictures of her mom in the hospital while she was dying, and they're considered art. That's what I'm doing. MATT First of all, your mother's very sick, but she's not dying. Second, you don't share personal stuff like that with strangers. What's going on with Mom is private. SCOTTIE I'm hungry. Can we get burgers? MATT No. SCOTTIE Can we get smoothies? MATT No. As Scottie continues -- MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) The last time I took care of Scottie by myself was when she was one. Now she's ten, and I have no idea what goes on inside her head. She's insane. And with Elizabeth in the hospital, I think she's testing me. I'm the backup parent. The understudy. 6. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 9 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 9 FLASH! Scottie takes Elizabeth's picture again. MATT I wish you'd stop doing that. And rather than taking her picture all the time, you should talk to her. I'm tired of asking you. You heard Dr. Johnston -- people in a coma can hear you -- you know, well, some of them can. It lets them know they're still loved, might even help them wake up sooner. And it'll help you express whatever feelings and emotions you're supposed to be going through -- you know, make you feel better. SCOTTIE I don't know what to say. MATT Tell her a story. SCOTTIE I don't have a story. MATT Tell her anything. Tell her what's been going on in school. SCOTTIE She never cares about that. MATT I don't believe that. What about after school? She's always driving you around the island. You know, gymnastics? Soccer? SCOTTIE I don't do those things anymore. MATT Ballet? Piano? Hula? SCOTTIE Nope. MATT If you're not going to say anything to your mother, we might as well leave. (CONTINUED) 7. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 9 CONTINUED: 9 SCOTTIE Okay. Let's go. MATT How about this? Write her a letter. SCOTTIE What would I write? MATT I don't know. "Get well. Wake up. I love you. Don't leave me alone with my idiot Dad." SCOTTIE How's she going to read it? She's in a coma. MATT Goddammit, Scottie, stop fighting me on everything. SCOTTIE But it doesn't make any sense. MATT You know what your mother is hearing right now? You refusing to talk to her. Is that what you want? SCOTTIE I'm starving. And I'm thirsty. I want a soda. He takes Scottie by the hand and sits her down in a chair next to the bed. MATT We're not leaving until you talk to her. I'll even give you privacy. Recite her the alphabet for all I care. What do you want to drink? SCOTTIE Sprite. MATT OK, Sprite. Diet Sprite? SCOTTIE Not diet. Regular. Do you think I'm fat? (CONTINUED) 8. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 9 CONTINUED: (2) 9 MATT No, you're not fat. SCOTTIE I'm not the model. MATT It's just that all that sugar makes you cranky. SCOTTIE I'm not cranky! MATT Okay. I'll be right back. Talk. 10 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY 10 As Matt steps out into the hallway, he passes NURSE JOY. NURSE JOY Mr. King, how are you? MATT Fine, Joy, fine. And you? NURSE JOY I see your picture in the paper today. Have you made your decision yet? MATT My decision? NURSE JOY Your family. About your big land. The other NURSE nudges Joy to be more polite. NURSE JOY (CONT'D) What? Me and Mr. King, we're like this. MATT Well, it's not really my decision. It's my whole family's decision. And furthermore... (mock scolding) ... mind your own business, young lady. As he turns away to continue down the hall -- (CONTINUED) 9. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 10 CONTINUED: 10 MATT (V.O) (CONT'D) The whole goddamned state is following my decision on who's going to buy 35,000 acres on Kaua'i my family has owned since the 1860s. My cousins and I meet in six days to approve a buyer. Ever since my father died nine years ago, I'm the sole trustee, the controlling trustee, so I hold all the cards. Why does so much have to depend on me -- my wife, my daughters, my family's land? I just want to hide. 11 INT. HOSPITAL GIFT SHOP - DAY 11 A POSTCARD shows a BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GIRL in a bikini straddling a surfboard, laughing as she's splashed. Barely containing his rage, Matt stares at postcard before grabbing ALL THE POSTCARDS in that rack. AT THE COUNTER -- About to pay for the postcards and two SODAS, Matt notices a HEADLINE atop a stack of NEWSPAPERS: "Activists Continue Protest of Kaua'i Sale." SHOPKEEPER Hey, they all the same cards. You like buy all the same cards? MATT These are inappropriate for a hospital gift shop. This girl is underage. Why do you sell postcards like this? This is a hospital. These aren't get-well cards. The SHOPKEEPER blinks at the man weirdly accosting her. SHOPKEEPER You like buy all the cards? Or you want I put them back? MATT (pulling out his wallet) Never mind. Yes, I'm buying them. And these two sodas. As she rings him up -- (CONTINUED) 10. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 11 CONTINUED: 11 SHOPKEEPER Okay, you buy underage girl all for yourself. In the lobby just outside the store, he drops the stack of postcards into the GARBAGE. 12 INT. HOSPITAL STAIRWAY - DAY 12 Forgoing the elevator -- perhaps to squeeze in a little exercise -- Matt trudges upstairs. MATT (V.O.) Elizabeth's going to make it out okay. I know it. It's not her time yet. She'll wake up, Scottie and Alexandra will have their mother back, and we'll talk about our marriage. I'll sell the land and quit my practice and buy her whatever she wants -- a big boat, a house in France, a trip around the world, just the two of us. We'll get close again, like the early days. It's still in us. It must be. 13 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY 13 Approaching the door, Matt hears LAUGHTER from inside. 14 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 14 Matt enters to find Scottie on a sofa in the corner GIGGLING and TEXTING. MATT Scottie, what are you doing? SCOTTIE I'm hungry. Can we go? MATT You didn't talk to her, did you? SCOTTIE Yes, I did. MATT What did you tell her? SCOTTIE It's private. (CONTINUED) 11. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 14 CONTINUED: 14 MATT You're lying. And Jesus Christ, enough with the goddamn texting! Give me that phone! Give it here! Scottie fights him as he snatches her phone away. MATT (CONT'D) Jesus, Scottie. Okay, you win. Let's go. Scottie springs up out of the sofa. MATT (CONT'D) At least say goodbye. SCOTTIE Bye, Mom! Scottie bolts out the door. Matt takes a last look at Liz, panic and sadness rippling across his face. MATT (V.O.) My wife -- the sportswoman, the model, the drinker. MATT (CONT'D) Would you please wake up already? I need you. I can't do this alone. 15 EXT. BRIEF MONTAGE - DAY 15 Images lead us up the PALI HIGHWAY and into the lush old neighborhood of NU'UANU. 16 EXT. KING HOUSE - DAY 16 This STATELY OLD HOUSE shows signs of neglect but feels impressive and welcoming nonetheless. MATT (O.S.) Is this Barb Higgins? BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) Yes, it is. MATT (O.S.) Hi, Matt King returning your call. I assume your daughter is a classmate of my daughter's. (CONTINUED) 12. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 16 CONTINUED: 16 BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) Yes, Lani is a classmate of Scottie's, yes. 17 INT. KING HOUSE - DAY 17 As Matt speaks on the PHONE, he wanders out of his cluttered HOME OFFICE and into the DINING ROOM. MATT How can I help you? BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) Let's see, where to start? It's Scottie. She's been texting some awful things to Lani, and I'd like her to stop. MATT For instance. BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) Here's the latest one. "We all know you grew pubes over the summer." She sends little messages like that for no reason. She even wrote it on Lani's Facebook wall. MATT Huh. BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) She calls my daughter Lanikai, implying she's like the size of an entire neighborhood. Do you think that's nice? MATT That's not like her at all. She's usually very sweet. He glances out the window at Scottie, who sits on the ground, back turned, POUNDING something with a BIG ROCK. MATT (CONT'D) As you may know, her mother isn't well, and maybe this is how she's dealing with it. BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) I don't care about the backstory, Mr. King. My daughter comes home from school in tears. (CONTINUED) 13. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 17 CONTINUED: 17 MATT Yeah, no, I get it. I'm very sorry. BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) Scottie should be the one who's sorry. I want her to come over and apologize to Lani, and I don't ever want her to write to my daughter again. LANI (DISTANT O.S.) She can in a good way. BARB HIGGINS (O.S.) If she doesn't apologize, I'm going to tell the headmaster. You can't buy your way out of this. Matt draws a long exasperated breath, as if everything else weren't enough already. MATT (V.O.) See what I mean? Everybody sees me as the rich guy, the inheritor. People resent us. I resent us. Even our last name -- King. How irritating. 18 INT. MATT'S CAR - DAY 18 Matt drives Scottie. MATT You need to say you're sorry, and you need to mean it. No dicking around. I have a ton of work to do tonight. Do you have any idea how behind I am? You made her cry. Why would you want to be so mean to someone? SCOTTIE (irritated) I don't know! MATT Is that what you text all the time, nasty things? SCOTTIE No. MATT Well, what then? (CONTINUED) 14. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 18 CONTINUED: 18 SCOTTIE I write them with Reina. They make her laugh, and then she shows Megan and Brooke, and they laugh too. MATT I should have known Reina had something to do with it. I don't want you hanging out with her. SCOTTIE Wait, I told Reina she could visit me in the hospital since I'm not in school anymore. Can she? MATT We'll make a deal. You apologize to this girl, and you talk to your mother, and then we'll see about Reina dropping by the hospital. Okay? Something outside the window catches Scottie's attention. SCOTTIE Dorks! Matt looks to see -- SIX FAMILY MEMBERS, walking on the sidewalk with KAYAKS, wearing T-SHIRTS reading "Melnick Family Reunion." SCOTTIE (CONT'D) Dorks! MATT Scottie, knock it off! Scottie sits back in her seat, laughing. Matt glances in his rearview mirror to see a TEENAGE SON taking off his T-shirt and throwing it to the ground. 19 EXT. LANI'S HOUSE - KAIMUKI - LATE AFTERNOON 19 The car drives down a block of MODEST HOMES. SCOTTIE Her house is down there on the corner. MATT You've been here before? (CONTINUED) 15. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 19 CONTINUED: 19 SCOTTIE Yea-uh. She invites me to her birthday, like, every year. MATT So you guys are actually friends? SCOTTIE Until last year's party, when she locked me out of the house and I had to sit outside all day while everybody was inside. She thought she was so great, but then I became friends with Reina and Brooke and got popular. MATT (processing) What? 20 EXT. LANI'S FRONT PORCH - LATE AFTERNOON 20 BARB HIGGINS answers the door. BARB HIGGINS Thank you for coming by. 21 INT. LANI'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 21 As Matt and Scottie are shown inside, they remove their shoes. BARB HIGGINS I forgot to mention the time Scottie said she didn't want to be Lani's partner at the rock wall because she didn't want to fall into my daughter's butt crack. That doesn't even make sense. Barb now leads them into -- THE TV ROOM -- -- where LANI HIGGINS sits on a couch. Matt is impatient to be done with this meaningless task. MATT Scottie, do you have something you want to say to Lani? SCOTTIE Sorry. (CONTINUED) 16. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 21 CONTINUED: 21 LANI It's okay. MATT Great. Well, nice meeting you both. Lani, you should come over sometime. Come for a swim or a hike or something. BARB HIGGINS Scottie, the things you said were simply evil. Do you realize that? I don't know what's led you to be such a nasty young lady. MATT Hey, hey. We came over. She apologized. We're dealing with it. Kids are mean sometimes. They grow out of it. It's a kid thing. Here, Scottie, you're going to stop, right? And you're really, really sorry, right? Scottie makes a big exaggerated nod. BARB HIGGINS I don't think she's sorry at all. She's going to keep doing it. I can tell. MATT No, she won't. It's like the time Lani locked Scottie out of the house at her birthday party and Scottie sat outside by herself. It was a mean thing to do, but Lani here probably did it just to show off, right? Lani thinks a moment, nods. MATT (CONT'D) But I'm not about to declare that one action defines a human being's entire character. She's a work in progress, and like all complex people is a bundle of contradictions. BARB HIGGINS I didn't know about that. SCOTTIE You brought me cake. (CONTINUED) 17. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 21 CONTINUED: (2) 21 MATT You brought her cake. So, I don't know, maybe Lani should be the one to apologize, since this incident may have been the catalyst for all this... "evil" was the word you used. 22 EXT. LANI'S HOUSE - DUSK 22 The door opens, and Matt and Scottie pause to slip their shoes back on. BARB HIGGINS Oh, and Mr. King? MATT Yes? BARB HIGGINS Good luck with the sale. Matt turns to look at her. So that's what all this was about on some level? BARB HIGGINS (CONT'D) They say your decision will have a major impact on Hawai'i's real estate world, not to mention the whole landscape of Kaua'i. Hundreds of millions of dollars, yeah? MATT Big decision. BARB HIGGINS My husband's family is from Kaua'i. Hanapepe, born and bred. They hope you don't sell. MATT You don't say. BARB HIGGINS All the traffic it's going to make. Matt and Scottie walk away. Barb closes the door. MATT Are you going to act different with Lani? (CONTINUED) 18. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 22 CONTINUED: 22 SCOTTIE I'll try, but it's hard. She has a face you just want to hit. MATT Yeah. 23 23 INT. MATT'S STUDY - NIGHT The camera makes its way past PHOTOS of Matt's ancestors, BOOKS of Hawaiian history, other family memorabilia to find Matt at his desk pouring over PAPERS. A clock reads 1:20. MATT (V.O.) My great-great-grandmother was Princess Margaret Ke'alohilani, one of the last direct descendants of King Kamehameha. She was originally supposed to marry her hanai brother, but she fell in love with her haole banker and estate manager, Edward King, whose parents were missionaries. Between his land deals and her huge inheritance, all of their descendants for generations have watched the past unfurl millions into our laps through leases and sales. Now the Rule Against Perpetuities is forcing us to dissolve the trust, and we're selling the last parcel of undeveloped land. Matt looks up, his glance falling on the portraits of Edward and Margaret. MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) Soon my daughters and I can just be normal citizens like everybody else, and these dead people will stop controlling our lives. VERY CLOSE ON MATT -- MATT (V O.) (CONT'D) I just want to be a normal guy. 24 EXT. DOWNTOWN HONOLULU - DAY 24 Establishing -- tall buildings, business people, lunch wagons. 19. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 25 INT. MATT'S LAW OFFICE - DAY 25 Matt eats a SACK LUNCH at his desk. His window has a grand view of DOWNTOWN. We glimpse his Punahou, college and law school DIPLOMAS. MATT (V.O.) Unlike a lot of my cousins, I haven't touched my share of the trust money. Like my father before me, I live only on the income from my law practice. I don't want my daughters growing up entitled and spoiled. And I agree with my father -- you give your children enough money to do something but not enough to do nothing. Matt's secretary NOE cracks open his door. NOE Mr. King, your cousins are here. 26 INT. LAW OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 26 Matt enters the room to find SEVEN COUSINS waiting to greet him. From their casual clothing and shaggy hair, an observer might hardly suspect their status. MATT (V.O.) Not only am I the sole but I'm a commercial real estate and transactional attorney, so the most involved of my cousins have been meeting with me regularly to analyze the bids -- Cousin Dave, Cousin Hal, Cousin Six, Cousin Wink, Cousin Lisa, Cousin Connie and Cousin Stan, both of whom oppose the sale entirely. Don't be fooled by appearances. In Hawai'i some of the most powerful people look like bums and stuntmen. LATER -- Matt and his cousins stand above the conference table, looking at blueprints and architectural drawings. MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) The proposals are virtually the same -- hotels, shopping centers, condos and golf courses. 3000 new jobs in the first five years. Support letters from the construction industry and unions. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 20. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 26 CONTINUED: 26 MATT (V.O.) (CONT'D) A Chicago group is offering half a billion dollars, but we're leaning toward a lower bid from a guy named Don Holitzer. He's actually from Kaua'i and made a fortune in Silicon Valley. Cousin Hugh is pushing us in that direction, and I say why not? CLOSE ON MATT, nodding along but highly distracted, the sound of Liz's VENTILATOR growing louder in his brain. We CUT TO ARTIST'S RENDERINGS of comatose Elizabeth -- wide, closer, closer still, closer. 27 EXT. QUEENS'S HOSPITAL - DAY 27 Establishing. Matt walks inside the front door. 28 INT. FAMILY CONSULTATION ROOM - DAY 28 Matt sits across from old family friend DR. SAM JOHNSTON. DR. JOHNSTON Bad news, Matt. Dr. Chun, Dr. Mueller and I -- we believe her condition, * which we call a multi-factorial anoxic * encephalopathy, is deteriorating. We * see no eye movement, no pupillary * response, basically no brainstem * reflexes whatsoever. The machines * could keep her going, but her quality * of life would be... very poor. * Basically what you see now. She'll never be like she was, Matt. Never. * We know that now. Matt sits very still. DR. JOHNSTON (CONT'D) I can't tell you how sorry I am to have to tell you this. And you have your daughters. There's just nothing we can do. MATT So... if we do go ahead and take her off the machines -- DR. JOHNSTON Not if, Matt. When. I have a legal obligation. You know that. (CONTINUED) 21. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 28 CONTINUED: 28 MATT How long will she last? DR. JOHNSTON Hard to say. Could be a few days. Could be two weeks. But for planning purposes, you should work off the shortest possible scenario. I know I need to get the ball rolling on organ donations right away. Organ donation? Forgot about that one. DR. JOHNSTON (CONT'D) Elizabeth has so many friends, a big life. Last time I was at your house, must have been 200 people. If you're going to let people know to say goodbye, which is fairly typical protocol in these situations, start now. By the time the last day comes, they feel more ready, as ready as they can feel. I'm so sorry, Matt. 29 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY 29 His mind spinning, Matt prepares to look at the corpse-to-be. When he opens the door and pulls back the curtain, he finds -- 30 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 30 -- friends MARK AND KAI MITCHELL up for a visit. They're playing MUSIC for Elizabeth on a mini-boombox, and Kai is APPLYING MAKE-UP to Liz's face. After cheery greetings -- MATT What're you doing? KAI Oh, she's been looking a little pale lately all cooped up in here, and I just know she'd be mortified if no one had thought to help her out with some lipstick and blush. I know she'll grill me. Matt and Mark exchange a look -- "Girls." MARK And of course Kai's getting her all caught up on all the latest gossip. (CONTINUED) 22. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 30 CONTINUED: 30 KAI Well, I don't want to have to start from scratch later. Oh, and Matt, on the way here we stopped by and left some more meals in your fridge, all ready to nuke. Matt smiles -- he'd been expecting a grim moment alone with Elizabeth, but instead he finds a room full of warmth and life. Even if it's a little creepy. MARK So what's the latest anyway, Matt? Any updates? MATT No, no. Just more of the same -- monitoring the swelling, keeping her * kidneys and other vitals working, you * know, hoping for the best. Kai nods sympathetically before turning back to Elizabeth. EXTREME CLOSEUP of Liz's lips as Kai applies lipstick. 31 EXT. KALAKAUA AVENUE - DAY 31 JOGGERS go past as Matt's car pulls into the driveway of the OCEAN OUTRIGGER CLUB. 32 EXT. OCEAN OUTRIGGER BEACH - DAY 32 Matt lies on the beach watching Scottie play in the surf with her snorkel mask on. The melancholy he feels makes him regard his weird little daughter with tenderness. SCOTTIE (emerging from the water) I'm hungry! MATT What else is new? Let's get you something to eat. 33 EXT. OCEAN OUTRIGGER RESTAURANT - DAY 33 Scottie pops two last FRIES into her mouth, then turns her attention to a strawberry SUNDAE. Anxious to spoil her, Matt watches Scottie dig in. Yet he remains preoccupied, his smile distant. (CONTINUED) 23. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 33 CONTINUED: 33 SCOTTIE The food here at the club is so good. MATT Yeah, they do a good job here. SCOTTIE Why is it called a jellyfish? It's not a fish, and it's not jelly. MATT No idea. You ask good questions. You're getting too smart for me, Scottie. SCOTTIE I'm going to find out. Then I'm going to ask Mom when she wakes up and see if she knows. Do you think she's going to know everything she used to know? Matt notices a BUFF GUY and some FRIENDS headed to a nearby table, and his mood sours. Scottie follows his gaze. The guy notices the Kings and feels obliged to mosey over. This is TROY COOK -- athletic and rich. TROY Hi, Matt. Hi, Scottie. MATT Troy. TROY (to his friends) I'll catch up to you guys in a second. Matt stares so intensely that Troy averts his gaze. TROY (CONT'D) So, uh, what's going on? I mean, how's Elizabeth doing? MATT Same. TROY I visited her last week, you know. I thought she looked pretty good. MATT So why'd you ask? (CONTINUED) 24. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 33 CONTINUED: (2) 33 TROY I don't know, I just wanted to know the latest. I'm praying for her every day, you guys. Really hard. Seriously. So what I was saying was, when I was there, I talked to her, and her hand moved, so I was pretty encouraged. I thought that was an encouraging sign. Scottie looks up hopefully. Matt notices. MATT That's enough. TROY I really think she heard me. MATT Look, Troy, go to your friends. No hard feelings. Let's just leave it alone. Troy walks away, stops, turns back. TROY I told you, Matt, there were lots of chops and holes that day. I told you a hundred times. Ask anybody. What happened to her could have happened to me. It was a super-hard day on the water. MATT You weren't supposed to be driving, Troy. She was supposed to be driving. TROY She wanted me to drive. And she's the one who told me to pass the other boat right before the turn. And just your whole attitude toward me, Matt -- I mean, I feel terrible. I wish it were me and not her. Plus I almost drowned myself when we capsized. And my rotator cuff is never going to be the same, and I'm going to miss Moloka'i. SCOTTIE Just because her hand moved, it doesn't mean anything, Troy. Mom twitches at weird times. When you cut off a chicken's head, it runs all around, but it's still a dead chicken. (CONTINUED) 25. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 33 CONTINUED: (3) 33 Scottie pushes back from the table and takes off toward the pool. Matt follows, not even gracing Troy with a final look. 34 EXT. OCEAN OUTRIGGER POOL - CONTINUOUS 34 Matt catches up to Scottie. MATT Hey, sport, don't pay any attention to that guy. That guy's a dope. SCOTTIE I hate him. MATT Yeah. SCOTTIE I didn't mean to say dead chicken. I don't want Mom to die. MATT I know, I know. Hey, let's get out of here. Let's go do something crazy. Like let's drive to the airport and hop over to the Big Island and surprise your sister. What do you say? SCOTTIE Right now? MATT It'll be fun. She's not expecting us or anything. And we bring her home. I think she should be here with us, don't you? Don't you miss her? I miss her. SCOTTIE Yeah, I'm out of school. She should be too! 35 EXT. OUTRIGGER RESTAURANT - DAY 35 As Matt and Scottie head toward the exit, Scottie FLIPS OFF a crestfallen Troy. A35 EXT. AIRPORT - DAY A35 A Hawaiian Airlines inter-island airplane takes off. 36 INSERT -- MAP OF THE ISLANDS 36 A DOTTED LINE goes from Honolulu to Kona. 26. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 37 INT. AIRPLANE - DAY 37 Matt and Scottie look out the window at THE BIG ISLAND coming into view. MATT (V.O.) Somehow it feels natural to find a daughter of mine on a different island. A family seems exactly like an archipelago -- all part of the same geographic expression but still islands -- separate and alone, always drifting slowly apart. 38 EXT. KING'S HIGHWAY, BIG ISLAND - DUSK 38 A RED RENTAL CAR zooms along the famous road near Kona traversing rocky -- almost lunar -- landscape. 39 INT. RENTAL CAR - DUSK 39 Matt looks over at Scottie, dozing. 40 EXT. HAWAI'I PREPARATORY ACADEMY - NIGHT 40 The car turns onto the bumpy gravel road snaking through the campus of this BOARDING SCHOOL. 41 INT. DORM SUPERVISOR'S ROOM HALLWAY - NIGHT 41 Matt knocks on a door. An exhausted Scottie slouches against a wall. The DORM SUPERVISOR appears in a nightgown. The TV is on in the background. MATT Hi, sorry to bother you. I'm Matt King. DORM SUPERVISOR Yes, hello, Mr. King. MATT I've come to pick up my daughter, Alexandra. DORM SUPERVISOR Did you call Administration? MATT No, I didn't. It's sort of an emergency. (CONTINUED) 27. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 41 CONTINUED: 41 DORM SUPERVISOR All right, let's see what we can do. 42 OMIT 42 43 INT. DORM HALLWAY - NIGHT 43 Scottie runs down the hall, excited by the idea of surprising her sister. SCOTTIE Which door? Which door is it? MATT Scottie, keep it down! DORM SUPERVISOR Will you both keep it down? It's around the corner. They turn down another corridor, and Scottie knocks on a door. DORM SUPERVISOR (CONT'D) That's the wrong door. The door opens, and a girl pokes her head out. DORM SUPERVISOR (CONT'D) Go back to sleep, Yuki. MATT Sorry, Yuki. The dorm supervisor knocks on an adjacent door. A moment later a ROOMMATE opens, groggy from sleep. DORM SUPERVISOR Wake your roommate, sweetie. ROOMMATE (glancing in her room) Um... Alex isn't here. DORM SUPERVISOR Where is she? ROOMMATE I think she's... outside somewhere. 28. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 44 EXT. SOCCER FIELD - NIGHT 44 A coat over her nightgown, flashlight in hand, the dorm supervisor leads Matt and Scottie across glistening moist grass. They hear LAUGHTER. TWO FIGURES grow more distinct in the moonlight -- GIRLS hitting golf balls -- ALEXANDRA KING and friend EMILY. DORM SUPERVISOR Girls! What do you think you're doing out here? EMILY Run! SCOTTIE Hi, Alex! It's me, Scottie! Emily takes off but doesn't get far -- she falls flat on her face, golf club in one hand, BOTTLE in the other. MATT You know, I pay $25,000 year for this crap not to happen. Alex! ALEXANDRA Dad? (laughing, to Emily) My fucking dad is here! This cracks her up even more. Scottie laughs too, though she's unsure why. DORM SUPERVISOR You don't talk like that here. This is unacceptable behavior! ALEXANDRA What's up, Dad? EMILY You come out to play a few holes with us? SCOTTIE We came to get you so you can come home. He took me out of school already. I haven't gone for three whole days. (CONTINUED) 29. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 44 CONTINUED: 44 ALEXANDRA (to Matt) What's happening? Why are you here? MATT You need to come home and see Mom. Alexandra hears this, takes a few strides, flings her golf club into the night. ALEXANDRA Fuck Mom! DORM SUPERVISOR What did I say about the language? ON MATT -- MATT (V.O.) What is it about me that makes women in my life want to destroy themselves? Elizabeth with her motorcycles and speedboats and alcoholism. 45 EXT. KING HOUSE - NIGHT 45 Matt's car arrives back home, and he and Scottie get out of the car. MATT (V.O.) Alexandra with her drugs and older guys and modeling. 46 INT. KING HOUSE - NIGHT 46 Matt carries a passed-out Alex upstairs. Scottie scampers ahead, opening the door to -- 47 INT. ALEXANDRA'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 47 -- where Matt places Alex on her bed, takes off her shoes, covers her with a blanket, and watches this tsunami of a girl at rest. 48 INT. KING KITCHEN - DAY 48 At the stove, Matt dishes out SCRAMBLED EGGS. Scottie sits in the kitchen nook. MATT (V.O.) And Scottie, how can I protect her from... me? (CONTINUED) 30. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 48 CONTINUED: 48 As he brings her plate over -- SCOTTIE I don't like eggs. MATT Why didn't you say so before I made them? SCOTTIE I thought they were for you. Alex trudges in and pulls a Coca-Cola out of the fridge. MATT Good morning. (no answer) Does Mom let you have Coke for breakfast? ALEXANDRA I'm pretty sure it's after eleven. Now that we get a closer look, we might recognize Alexandra from the postcards at the hospital. We also see a resemblance to her mother. MATT How are you feeling? Shrugging, she plops down near Scottie. MATT (CONT'D) Hungover, huh? Why am I not surprised? I don't know where to start, and we probably shouldn't in front of Scottie. SCOTTIE I don't mind. MATT I thought you were supposed to be getting your act together. ALEXANDRA I have gotten my act together. I was just drinking. I've been doing really well, but nobody ever seems to notice my grades are better, and how I was in that stupid play you guys didn't bother to see. Do you even remember the name of it? (CONTINUED) 31. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 48 CONTINUED: (2) 48 It's on the tip of his tongue. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) That's what I thought. So what if I got drunk on the ONE night you happened to drop in? So the fuck what? MATT Hey, hey, hey. Watch your language in front of Scottie. SCOTTIE I'm okay. MATT (sitting with them) Anyway, it's good to see you. Welcome home. Want some eggs? ALEXANDRA How long do I have to stay? MATT We'll discuss that. ALEXANDRA (getting up) I'm going swimming. MATT Then I'll join you. ALEXANDRA Good times. 49 EXT. KING SWIMMING POOL - DAY 49 Matt walks out the patio doors. Seated on the steps of the shallow end, Alexandra is on her cellphone. ALEXANDRA (into phone) I gotta go. I'll see you later. (to Matt) The pool's really dirty. What day does the pool guy come? Matt notices all the floating leaves and insects. MATT He comes... you know, I don't know what day he comes. (CONTINUED) 32. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 49 CONTINUED: 49 ALEXANDRA Awesome. Matt grabs a POLE to skim the surface of the water. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) Sid's coming over. MATT Who's Sid? ALEXANDRA A really good friend from Punahou. We were in school together for years. MATT Oh. Okay. ALEXANDRA He wants to be there for me with all this shit happening. Matt wonders his own version of "What am I, chopped liver?" MATT Do I know his parents? ALEXANDRA No. He might stay over too. Is that cool? Just then, Scottie runs out onto the patio dressed in a BRA AND PANTIES. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) What the fuck? Get out of my underwear, you freak. SCOTTIE Ooo, la la! Don't I look divine? MATT Scottie, get back inside and change into your swimsuit. SCOTTIE Why? MATT Now. Scottie flips him off and runs back inside. (CONTINUED) 33. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 49 CONTINUED: (2) 49 ALEXANDRA Real good job you're doing. MATT That's part of why I brought you here. You have to help me. I don't know what to do with her. Alexandra slides into the water, swims to the other side and props herself on the edge, floating her lower body. Matt lowers himself into the water too. ALEXANDRA Maybe if you spent more time with her, she wouldn't act like such a complete spaz. Get her out of town -- go camp on Kaua'i. That's what mom did with me whenever I was losing it. MATT Listen, Alex, your mother isn't well. ALEXANDRA Obviously. MATT They just told me she isn't going to wake up. It's for sure now. The doctors are going to stop caring for her. Do you understand what I'm saying? Your mom wanted it this way. Alex remains silent. MATT (CONT'D) She has a will, see, saying we have to do it like this. We both do. That's why I got you. We're letting her go. Alex looks at him, takes a couple quick, loud inhalations, then slips -- UNDERWATER -- -- where she SWIMS, FACE CONTORTED, hoping to stay down there forever. Finally she emerges -- ABOVE THE POOL -- -- and gets out, grabbing a towel, crying now. (CONTINUED) 34. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 49 CONTINUED: (3) 49 ALEXANDRA Why'd you have to tell me in the goddamned pool? Matt climbs out and approaches her, arms extended. MATT Alex... Alex... ALEXANDRA What do you want? Matt drops his arms, crestfallen. Alex scoffs, walks back into the house. 50 INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY 50 They sit together now on sofas. Alexandra appears drained from crying. MATT I just found out yesterday. We have to go through this thing together, you and Scottie and I. And I need to go around and tell people what's happening -- our family and close friends. Sometimes I'll want you to come with me. Other times I need you to watch Scottie. ALEXANDRA You want me to go around with you and tell everyone that Mom's going to die? What's the point of that? Breaking the news, watching them cry, dealing with their emotions. How depressing is that going to be? Just call them. MATT Alex, nobody wants to do any of this. But we need to tell Grandpa and Tutu, a few friends. They have the right to know and to be able to say goodbye. ALEXANDRA I don't want to talk about Mom with anyone. MATT Whatever you fought about with her at Christmas, you need to drop it. Grow up. You love your mother. Your mother loves you. Move on. (CONTINUED) 35. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 50 CONTINUED: 50 ALEXANDRA I can't drop it. MATT You have to. ALEXANDRA You really don't have a clue, do you? Dad, she was cheating on you. Whoa. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) That's what we fought about. When I was home at Christmas, I caught her with some guy. It made me sick to see her near you. I went back to school thinking that was it, I was done with her. I was going to call and tell you everything. But then the accident happened, and I was waiting until she woke up, I guess. And you, you didn't even suspect. Right? (off his silence) That disgusted me too. You're always so busy. MATT Caught her with some guy? What does that mean? ALEXANDRA Brandy and I were on our way to swim in the Black Point pool, and suddenly I see Mom and some douchebag walk into a house. His house, I guess. MATT Just a guy? It could have been anybody. ALEXANDRA He had his hand on her ass. It was gross. MATT You're sure it was her. (off her nod) Then what? (CONTINUED) 36. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 50 CONTINUED: (2) 50 ALEXANDRA Then nothing. She went into the house. A few days later I told her I knew what she was doing. MATT And? ALEXANDRA First she acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. Like I'm blind. Then she got super-mad and started yelling at me and denied it. That's when I decided I didn't want anything more to do with her. MATT Who is he? ALEXANDRA I don't know. Some guy. MATT What did he look like? ALEXANDRA Dark hair. Matt stands up, walks in a little circle -- he literally does not know which way to turn. Then he knows. MATT Watch Scottie. 51 EXT. KING HOUSE - DAY 51 Matt bursts out of his house and starts RUNNING down the street. 52 EXT. NU'UANU NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY 52 Matt comes sprinting around a corner. 53 EXT. THE MITCHELLS' HOUSE - DAY 53 Matt arrives at his neighbors' house and lets himself in the kitchen door. 54 INT. THE MITCHELLS' HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 54 Matt passes through the kitchen into the living room. (CONTINUED) 37. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 54 CONTINUED: 54 MATT Hello! It's me, Matt! MARK AND KAI appear at the top of the stairs looking as though they haven't been downstairs all day. KAI Oh, hey, Matt. MATT You guys weren't sleeping, were you? As they come downstairs -- KAI No, we were just fighting. Come on in. Want a drink? Want some coffee? MATT (shaking his head) What were you fighting about? MARK Stupid. KAI It's not stupid. He wants us to throw parties and have people over, which we do, of course, but who ends up doing all the work? Me. MARK It's work that's totally unnecessary. You don't have to do anything. Nobody's forcing you to clean and buy a new outfit and think of some goddamn theme cocktail. We can just invite people over last minute and drink whatever we have and hang out. It's more fun that way, anyway. As they continue their argument, Matt is struck by the pettiness of everyday life. He at once pities it, is impatient with it, and longs for it. MARK (CONT'D) You know what? We can talk about it later. Matt didn't come over to hear us squabble. KAI Shit, Matt. Is Elizabeth -- is there any news? (CONTINUED) 38. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 54 CONTINUED: (2) 54 MATT In fact there is. I'll tell you in a moment. Who is he? (off their silence) Does she love him? Who is he? KAI Matt. MATT I'm sorry to put you in this position. But I'm not really the one who put you there, am I? I just want to know who this guy is that my wife has been... seeing. KAI Oh, Matt, you're angry. MATT You could be a therapist. Very keen powers of observation. KAI Wow. I think we should talk another time. I think you need to cool it. Matt sits. He's not leaving. No one speaks. MATT Is it Troy? That fucking Neanderthal? MARK You don't know him. KAI Oh, don't you even, Mark. Shame on you. You're her friend. MARK I'm Matt's friend too. And this is a very unique and dramatic situation. I'd want to know. KAI Don't betray her when she can't even defend herself. Matt, you may not be able to hear this right now, but it's not her fault. Women have needs. MATT Are you fucking kidding me? (CONTINUED) 39. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 54 CONTINUED: (3) 54 KAI Your marriage was not... You worked so hard to make partner, and no one can take that away from you. But then you made partner, and you only got busier. And it's not like you were so involved with the girls. She was lonely. MATT So you're going to talk to me in clichés about women? Nothing is ever a woman's fault. Was it still going on when she had the accident? Kai looks away. Mark nods. MARK But I stayed out of it, Matt. Anytime Kai talked about it, I walked away. MATT (to Kai) And you what? You probably egged her on. Add some drama to your life without any actual risk. Whom do you think you're protecting anyway? She doesn't need your protection -- it's over. She's going to die. KAI Don't say that. MATT I almost told you yesterday. She's never going to wake up. It's for sure now. You hear me? We're pulling the plug. You were putting lipstick on a corpse. MARK Come on, Matt. That's a little intense. Kai's face dissolves into tears. Mark reaches out to comfort her. Everybody falls back to Earth. MATT I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you guys. I just... Does she love him? Matt looks at him blankly, then at Kai. He'd like to know too. (CONTINUED) 40. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 54 CONTINUED: (4) 54 KAI How can you ask about him when she's going to die? Who cares? Yes, she loves him, loved him, whatever. She's crazy about him. She was going to ask you for a divorce. Matt is stunned but oddly relieved. The truth, once revealed, blows a calming wind. MATT You still haven't told me who he is. I guess it doesn't matter. Matt rises to his feet and leave. 55 EXT. THE MITCHELLS' HOUSE - DAY 55 Just as Matt reaches the sidewalk, Mark comes loping out of the house. MARK Brian Speer. His name is Brian Speer. Two e's. A PET GOAT tied up in the front yard watches. 56 EXT. NU'UANU NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY 56 From a discreet distance, we notice that Matt has stopped walking to cry. 57 EXT. KING SWIMMING POOL - DAY 57 Wandering up the driveway, Matt finds Alexandra sitting with Scottie and SOME GUY. Scottie now wears an oversized t-shirt reading, "She's fat. I'm drunk. It's on." They stop laughing when they see Matt. SCOTTIE Hi, Daddy. ALEXANDRA Dad, this is Sid. MATT (sizing him up) Hello, Sid. Lanky and odd, a permanent smirk on his face, SID rises from his lounge chair. (CONTINUED) 41. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 57 CONTINUED: 57 SID `Sup, bro? As they shake hands, Sid pulls Matt into a man-hug and thumps him on the back. MATT Don't ever do that to me again. (to Alexandra) Get ready, okay? We're going to Grandma and Grandpa's. (to Scottie) Auntie Esther will come over to watch you. ALEXANDRA Sid's coming with us, okay? MATT Sid, this week, what's going on, is a real family matter. You understand. (to Alexandra) Sid's not going to be interested in meeting your grandparents. He'll be bored stiff. ALEXANDRA Dad, I told you he was going to be with me. I'll be a lot more civil with him around. SID (arms wide, shrugging) What can I say? 58 EXT. KING HOUSE - DAY 58 Matt approaches the car with Alexandra and the interloper. MATT Does he know what we're doing? ALEXANDRA He knows everything. SID Dude, your wife is dying and then you find out she's been stepping out on you? That's harsh. MATT Get in the car. 42. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft A59 EXT. MONTAGE - TBD A59 59 EXT. THORSON HOUSE - DAY 59 Matt watches retired military man SCOTT THORSON (70s) mumble as he sits at a table glancing over DOCUMENTS. Sid is splayed out on a nearby lounge chair. Alex seated at his feet. Every so often a PET PARROT squawks loudly. SCOTT THORSON This is like reading Korean. MATT Scott, I'll be happy to walk you through it. SCOTT THORSON (tossing the papers) Jibber-jabber. MATT It's an advanced directive -- basically her instructions on what medical procedures she wants or, in this case, does not want. No prolonged mechanical ventilation, no -- SCOTT THORSON I know goddamn well what it says. Says she doesn't want everyone waiting around while she spoils like milk. Says if the doctors can't do squat, she'd just as soon get on with it. He stares off into space. ALEXANDRA Gramps, are you okay? SCOTT THORSON Elizabeth had the good sense to write this thing here. Always a thoughtful girl. A strong girl. A hell of a lot stronger than her brother. Barry whines his way through life. Might even be a homosexual, for all I know. MATT Yeah, Scott, I don't think so. (CONTINUED) 43. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 59 CONTINUED: 59 SCOTT THORSON And she's stronger than you, Matt. She lived more in a year than you did in a decade, sitting in your office, hoarding all your cash. All that money you refuse to use -- what the hell good is it? And now you and your family are cashing in your chips -- what the hell for? Maybe if you'd let my baby have her own boat and bought her some safe equipment or let her go on those shopping sprees women like, maybe she wouldn't have gone in for those thrill sports. Maybe if you'd provided more thrills at home. ALEXANDRA Grandpa. SCOTT THORSON And you, Alexandra. Putting your poor mother through hell when all she was trying to do was instill some sense and drive in you. Shame on you. You should try to be more like her. She's a good girl. She's a good girl. The old man climbs to his feet and takes a few steps away. Hands on hips, he looks up as though gauging the weather. Then he clears his throat, wipes his face with his sleeve, turns back. SCOTT THORSON (CONT'D) You all want a drink? As he wanders away toward the kitchen -- LATER -- Scott returns pushing a little DRINK-CART. Behind him trails his wife ALICE. An Alzheimer's victim, Alice is a sweet woman, alert but unable to grasp or recall. ALICE Oh, do we have guests? MATT (kissing her) Hi, Alice. Good to see you. It's me, Matt. ALICE Good to see you too. (CONTINUED) 44. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 59 CONTINUED: (2) 59 ALEXANDRA (hugging her) Hi, Tutu. SCOTT THORSON That's Alexandra. ALICE Hello. SCOTT THORSON She's your granddaughter. And this is your son-in-law Matt. This is your family. Well, except this kid. I don't know who the hell he is. (to Sid) Who are you? Why are you here? ALEXANDRA He's my friend. SID Good afternoon. SCOTT THORSON Alice, we're going to go to Queen's Hospital today and see Elizabeth. ALICE We are? Queen Elizabeth? That's wonderful. I've never met a queen before. I have to put on a nice dress. Sid bursts out LAUGHING. SID Is she serious? SCOTT THORSON You be quiet, son. (then --) No, Alice. Our Elizabeth. Our baby. We need to go visit her in the hospital. She needs us, just like when she was a little girl. Let's think about what she might want in her room. We'll take it to her and put it next to her bed. ALICE But she's a queen. I have to look good for a queen. Don't you want me to look good? (CONTINUED) 45. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 59 CONTINUED: (3) 59 Sid LAUGHS again. SCOTT THORSON Shut up, Alice. (then --) Sorry, old gal. You go ahead and say whatever you want. ALICE I've never met a queen before. When Sid snickers again, Scott Thorson approaches him and glares. SID I'm sorry, man. I was just laughing. It's funny. I think she knows she's being funny. SCOTT THORSON I'm going to hit you. Scott POPS HIS FIST into Sid's face. Sid FLIES BACK. 60 INT. MATT'S CAR - DAY 60 The car in motion, Matt glances in the rearview mirror. MATT How's the eye? In the backseat, Sid holds a package of FROZEN PEAS to his puffy blue eye. SID That was unreal. I mean, how often do old people just haul off and fucking cold-cock you in the face? MATT He's hit me a couple times over the years. And watch your language. ALEXANDRA Here, let me kiss it. SID Ow! MATT Hey, could you two just cool it around me? You know, stop... touching each other so much? (CONTINUED) 46. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 60 CONTINUED: 60 SID Whoa! Maybe that's why your wife cheated on you, if you're so against touching. SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES, Matt turns around, points a menacing finger. Even Alexandra realizes Sid went too far. MATT You little fuck. Do you get hit a lot? SID I don't know. I've had my share. MATT (to Alex) Your friend is completely retarded. You know that, right? SID Hey, my little brother's retarded. Don't use that word in a derogatory fashion. Matt looks at him. Given who Sid is, there's no reason to think he wouldn't have a retarded brother. MATT Oh. SID Psych! I don't have a retarded brother! ALEXANDRA You suck, Sid. SID Speaking of retarded, do you ever feel bad for wishing a retarded person or an old person would just hurry up? Sometimes I wait for them to cross the street, and I'm like, come on already! But then I feel bad. Rather than lashing out again at Sid, Matt turns around and lowers his head into one hand, squeezing his temples. It's all getting to be too much for him. (CONTINUED) 47. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 60 CONTINUED: (2) 60 ALEXANDRA (noticing his anguish) Dad? MATT What? ALEXANDRA Don't forget -- I know where he lives. Matt thinks a moment, then -- MATT Get in the front seat. 61-63 OMIT 61-63 64 EXT. DIAMOND HEAD ROAD - DAY 64 Matt's car passes by the well-known crowded surf-point overlook. MATT (O.S.) Been doing any surfing over there on the Big Island? ALEXANDRA (O.S.) I haven't surfed in years. MATT (O.S.) Yeah, how come? You were so good. ALEXANDRA (O.S.) At first I stopped because I got my period and didn't know how to use a tampon. SID (O.S.) Didn't want to attract sharks, huh? ALEXANDRA (O.S.) So I wouldn't go for, you know, five days or so, and then I guess I just stopped. MATT (O.S.) Why didn't you ask Mom to show you or teach you or whatever? 65 EXT. KAHALA - DAY 65 The car continues on. (CONTINUED) 48. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 65 CONTINUED: 65 ALEXANDRA (O.S.) I didn't even tell her I got my period for like a year. She was always pushing me to look older and act older, so I just... SID (O.S.) Even I know how to use a tampon. ALEXANDRA (O.S.) The first time I got my period I thought I shit my pants. SID (O.S.) Ew, maybe you did! ALEXANDRA (O.S.) Sid, shut up. MATT (O.S.) Are you sure he knows what's going on with our family? Because he sure doesn't act like it. 66 EXT. BRIAN SPEER'S BLOCK - KAHALA - DAY 66 The car creeps down a street of lovely homes. ALEXANDRA Do you know anything about him? Like what he does or if he's married? MATT Just his name. Brian Speer. ALEXANDRA Why didn't you ask Kai and Mark? MATT I just didn't. ALEXANDRA Why not? MATT I didn't want to get into it. ALEXANDRA We'll google him later. Okay, there it is. Stop. Matt pulls over opposite a supremely average-looking house. (CONTINUED) 49. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 66 CONTINUED: 66 MATT There? He lives there? ALEXANDRA Well, I can't say for sure he lives there. That's just where I saw them. MATT And you just happened to be driving by. ALEXANDRA Sadie was driving. We both saw it. They all observe closely, very focused. Nothing happens. It's just a house. SID That house is a piece of shit. At least go after a guy who's got a mansion. And do you think he's married? That'd be pretty cold-blooded to do it in a house where you're married. ALEXANDRA Sid, please be quiet. MATT What are we going to do? ALEXANDRA I don't know. I'm just showing you the house. They all think a moment. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) Should I go ring the bell? MATT (tempted, then --) No, wait, this is stupid -- this stalking, or whatever the hell we're doing. We came, we saw. Whatever. Let's go. No one moves. ALEXANDRA It's not like we're stalking him exactly. (CONTINUED) 50. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 66 CONTINUED: (2) 66 A PLUMBING TRUCK drives up the road. The three of them reflexively crouch down before catching themselves. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) What would you do if you saw him, anyway? Talk to him or punch him or what? MATT I guess I just want to see him. SID All I know is, someone messed with my girl, all hell would break loose. ALEXANDRA Whatever, Sid. SID I mean, you'd never do that to me, would you? You know, if we ever got married. Fuck around on me. ALEXANDRA Depends on how you treated me. MATT That's enough now. ALEXANDRA And we're not getting married. Jesus. MATT (starting the car) Okay, that's enough. We're getting out of here. 67 EXT. NEARBY STREET - KAHALA - DAY 67 Matt's just about to turn back onto Kahala Avenue when -- ALEXANDRA Dad, stop! MATT What? ALEXANDRA Go back. MATT Why? (CONTINUED) 51. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 67 CONTINUED: 67 ALEXANDRA Just go back a couple of houses. Matt does so, checking that the coast is clear. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) There he is. MATT There who is? ALEXANDRA Look. Matt and Sid look toward a HOUSE FOR SALE. At first they don't get it, but soon their gaze drifts to the -- "FOR SALE" SIGN complete with a PHOTO of the broker, none other than -- BRIAN SPEER -- his big white SMILE contrasting starkly with haggard, unshaven Matt's SCOWL. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) Now we know what he looks like. SID Must be pretty handy for a dude having an affair to have some empty houses at his fingertips. (as Matt and Alex look at him) I'm just saying. That's how I'd do it. Alexandra climbs out of the car to grab a FLYER and take a photo of Brian Speer with her phone. 68 EXT. BRIEF MONTAGE 68 Images of Honolulu at DUSK TURNING INTO NIGHT -- STREETLIGHTS turning on across an entire neighborhood, boisterous pau-hana DRINKERS AT A BAR, a bus releasing weary commuters, an overhead shot of the environs of the KING HOUSE. MATT (V.O.) I trusted you. But there was always something about you I didn't trust. The sound of an internal PHONE RING begins. 69 INT. MATT AND LIZ'S BEDROOM - NIGHT 69 A sitting area off the bedroom is where Elizabeth displays her trophies and sports memorabilia. (CONTINUED) 52. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 69 CONTINUED: 69 This is where Matt now sits nursing a whiskey and pressing a PHONE to his ear. BRIAN SPEER (O.S.) Hi, this is Brian Speer at Kaimana- Prudential Realty. Sorry I missed you. Leave a message with your name, number and time of call, and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can. Mahalo. Looking as though he's about to vomit, Matt hangs up, regards the flyer on the coffee table before him. SID (O.S.) Hey, boss. Matt looks up to see Sid in his boxers. SID (CONT'D) Did you call him? MATT None of your business. And put some clothes on. And you're not sleeping in Alex's room. In fact, you should really go home, son. SID Alex wouldn't like that. MATT Guest room. Take it or leave it. SID We're going to do what we're going to do. MATT I'm not going to make it easy for you. SID I'm just fooling with you, man. We're not like that. Guest room's awesome. (then --) Just call him. He's nobody. Raise hell. WIPE TO: 70 INT. MATT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT 70 Matt sits on the bed, listening once again to Brian Speer's outgoing message. (CONTINUED) 53. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 70 CONTINUED: 70 MATT (on the BEEP) Yeah, hi, Brian. My name's, uh, Herb Fitzmorris. I'm interested in that house you've got on Koloa Street, the one with the plantation shutters. I'm at 645-2796. Thanks. 71 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY 71 As Matt leads his daughters toward Elizabeth's room -- MATT Let me go in for just a quick moment alone first. I'll be right out. 72 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 72 Matt closes the glass door behind him and slides the privacy curtain across it. He looks at his wife. She's starting to look different -- her face more gaunt, her hair more matted. Since the last time we saw her, OTHER ITEMS have been added around her bed. Along with draped LEIS, we see a childhood DOLL, DIPLOMAS, and of course SPORTS MEDALS and RIBBONS. An antique QUILT covers her legs. Her father meant it when he said they'd bring her old things. Matt crouches down bedside. MATT You were going to ask me for a divorce? So you could be with some fucking fuckhead Brian Speer? Are you kidding me? Who are you? Because the only thing I know for sure is that you're a goddamned liar. So what do you have to * say for yourself? Go ahead, make a * little joke and tell me I've got it all * wrong. Tell me again I'm too out of touch with my feelings and need to go * to therapy. * (then --) * Isn't the idea of marriage to make your partner's way in life a little easier? For me it was always harder with you. And you're still making it harder. Lying there on a ventilator and still fucking up my life. You're relentless. You know what? I was going to ask you for a divorce some day. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 54. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: 72 MATT (CONT'D) (grabbing a DOLL, tossing it) Daddy's little girl. Matt rises, looks at her motionless face, exhales, gets himself together. MATT (CONT'D) I'm bringing in your daughters now. Alex is home from school. Try to be nice, okay? He slides the curtain open and lets the girls in. SCOTTIE Hi, Mom! Look who's here. Alexandra approaches the bed slowly, startled by the changes in her mother's appearance and knowing the end is near. SCOTTIE (CONT'D) Say something, Alex. People in a coma can hear you. You're supposed to talk to them. ALEXANDRA Hi, Mom. SCOTTIE Tell her how you were drunk the other night. Tell her maybe you're an alcoholic. ALEXANDRA I guess it's in the genes. MATT Girls, be serious. ALEXANDRA Hi, Mom. Sorry for being bad. For wasting your money on expensive private schools. Money you could have used on facials and massages and sports equipment. Sorry for everything. (looking at Matt) Sorry we weren't good enough for you -- especially Dad. MATT Stop it. That's out of line. (CONTINUED) 55. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: (2) 72 ALEXANDRA Or what? You going to ground me? Or ship me off to another boarding school? You going to give me a "time out?" MATT Goddammit! Unable, in front of Scottie, to remind Alex that Elizabeth is dying, Matt grabs his older daughter and SPANKS her. SCOTTIE You got served! MATT Scottie, out in the hall. SCOTTIE She's the one out of line. MATT Go find Sid. SCOTTIE He's smoking. I shouldn't be around second-hand smoke. MATT (raising his hand) Now! As Scottie runs outside -- ALEXANDRA Did you just spank me? MATT You have no right to talk to your mother that way. She's going to die in a few days. What if those were your last words? ALEXANDRA I have every right to speak this way. I'm mad at her. How can you be so forgiving? Matt considers this. Of course she didn't see his recent outburst, and he's not about to let on. MATT I'll be angry later. For now let's just think about the good parts. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 56. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: (3) 72 MATT (CONT'D) And don't say that stuff in front of your sister. Don't ruin her for Scottie. Say something else. ALEXANDRA Look, Mom, I know we fought a lot. But I always wanted to be like you. I am like you. I'm exactly like you. God, that came out so dramatic. MATT You are like her. Mostly in good ways. Maybe some bad ways. Remains to be seen. Sid saunters inside with Scottie in tow. SID I hear you got spanked. I hear all hell's breaking loose in here. (approaching the bed) Hey, Mrs. K., howzit? I'm Sid, Alex's friend from Punahou, remember? Nice day outside. No clouds. Not too hot. You know what I think? Tough lady like you? I think you're going to make it. I mean, I'm no doctor. What do I know? But that's what I think. Matt squints at Sid. Is he stoned? SID (CONT'D) I'm staying at your place to help Alex out. Don't worry, Mr. K.'s got me on lockdown at night. And I met your dad - - he packs a mean punch. Look at this. (bringing his face closer) Wow. You're beautiful. (to Alexandra) If you look anything like her when you're older, you're lucky. I mean, you know, not exactly like she is now. I mean in general. Sid turns back for a long look at Elizabeth. SCOTTIE (looking at her phone) Reina just texted me! She's here visiting her grandma! Can she come visit? (CONTINUED) 57. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: (4) 72 MATT Dammit, Scottie, no Reina. SCOTTIE But you said Thursday, and it's almost Thursday. I don't get to see her in school anymore. MATT Not now. SCOTTIE I need her. Alex needs Sid. I need Reina. Matt looks at Alex, who in turn raises her eyebrows -- what harm could it do? LATER -- Scottie pushes open the door, now accompanied by her friend REINA, 12, who looks around as if the room is dirty. She wears a terry-cloth tennis skirt and hooded terry-cloth sweatshirt. SCOTTIE (CONT'D) Dad, this is Reina. Reina, that's my sister and Sid, and that's my mom on the bed. REINA Hi, everybody. Alex and Matt look at each other, bewildered. Scottie leads Reina to the bed and touches her mother's shoulder. REINA (CONT'D) So this is your mother? I guess it's true. Should I shake her hand? SCOTTIE If you want. REINA No, thanks. MATT So, Reina, I hear your grandmother's not feeling well. (CONTINUED) 58. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: (5) 72 REINA Yeah. It's pretty bad. She got her stomach operated on and then got some stupid infection or something. It's pretty gross. MATT Well, Reina, thanks for stopping by, and, here, Scottie, let me give you some money, and you two can go get an ice cream or something... REINA Too many carbs. MATT Carbs. Well, you could go to the cafeteria and get some lettuce. REINA That's okay. I'm done. (to Scottie, on her way out) You aren't a liar after all. SCOTTIE Don't you want to hang out? REINA No, I should go. I'll see you at the club. Hope your mom gets better. Exit Reina. ALEXANDRA Scottie, what'd she mean by "You aren't a liar after all?" What'd she think you were lying about? SCOTTIE She didn't believe Mom was sleeping. ALEXANDRA So you had to prove to that twat that Mom's in a coma? What the fuck is in your skull, a bunch of stupid pills? SCOTTIE Shut up, you motherless whore! SID Whoa, whoa, easy there, half-pipe. (CONTINUED) 59. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 72 CONTINUED: (6) 72 MATT Where'd you learn how to talk like that? Scottie points at Alex. Matt's PHONE RINGS. He pulls it out to silence it but notices the CALLER ID -- KAIMANA-PRUDENTIAL REAL ESTATE. He freezes. Sensing something, Alex calmly grabs the phone from him and glances at it. ALEXANDRA Hello? No, you've got the right number. This is his assistant Sharon. How may I help you? Alex listens. Scottie has no idea what's going on, but it sure is fun. SCOTTIE Who is it? ALEXANDRA Oh, I see. And for how long? Uh-huh. Okay. So one or the other. I'll tell him. Mahalo. Alexandra hangs up, proud. Matt's proud too. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) That was Bonnie Tanaka, a realtor. She says Mr. Speer is on Kaua'i till the 18th, but she'd be happy to show you the house or you can stop by the open house on Sunday. 73 EXT. KING HOUSE - DAY 73 MANY CARS are parked outside. 74 INT/EXT. KING HOUSE - DAY 74 PLATTERS of sashimi, fruit, ahi poke and salads lie atop the antique koa dining room table. LONGTIME FRIENDS, 40s to 70s, mingle in the living room and around the pool. We spot Mark and Kai. 60. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 75 INT. KING KITCHEN - DAY 75 Matt is spacing out alone, perhaps mentally rehearsing his speech. Awkward teen BUZZ happens by. BUZZ Hi, Mr. King. MATT Hello, Buzz. BUZZ Sorry about Mrs. King. Hope she gets better real soon. MATT Thanks. BUZZ It really blows. Matt nods, swigs his drink. Buzz now feels emboldened to reveal the cocktail concealed behind his back. BUZZ (CONT'D) Please don't tell my mom I'm drinking. MATT I won't. BUZZ Sometimes I steal beers from your outdoor fridge. MATT I know. Buzz slinks off. MATT (PRE-LAP) (CONT'D) You've all been asking about Elizabeth, and I've given vague answers. But the reason I've asked you all to come over today is to tell you... 76 INT. KING LIVING ROOM - DAY 76 Matt addresses the gathering. MATT ...that her coma is permanent. She's not going to make it. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 61. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 76 CONTINUED: 76 MATT (CONT'D) This week -- tomorrow, in fact -- as per her wishes, we're going to unhook her from life-support. (holding for gasps) You all know Elizabeth -- she always likes to do things on her own. Goddammit. (almost losing it) I wanted to tell you all in person. You're all our dear friends, our best friends. And the girls and I appreciate so much all the ways you've helped these last few weeks -- bringing food, calling... ONE GUEST Can we see her? MATT Yes, for God's sake, yes. That's the whole point. Go see her as soon as possible. That's what I wanted to tell you. It should be now, not after. Everyone who loves her deserves a chance to say goodbye. 77 EXT. KING HOUSE DRIVEWAY - DUSK OR NIGHT 77 Matt waves goodbye to the last guests as they drive off, then turns back toward his house. Halfway there, his exhaustion forces him to COLLAPSE onto the moist lawn. Sitting there, he comes to a REALIZATION -- not one he wants, but he knows he must deal with it regardless. ALEXANDRA (PRE-LAP) You've lost your mind. 78 INT. MATT'S STUDY - NIGHT 78 Matt is catching up on WORK and has a DICTAPHONE in his hand. Alex hovers in the doorway. ALEXANDRA You mean him? Tell him to say goodbye? MATT I'll only be gone a day or so. I'll leave in the morning, and be back tomorrow night. If it takes another day, fine -- I'll give it two days tops. If I don't find him, at least I tried. (CONTINUED) 62. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 78 CONTINUED: 78 ALEXANDRA Drop it, Dad. You've got way bigger fish to fry than confronting fucking Brian Speer. Are you recording this? MATT I'm summarizing a deposition. ALEXANDRA How can you work? MATT How can you go to a movie? ALEXANDRA To get Scottie out of the house. And you're going to tell him to come back and see Mom. MATT I think... I just think she would want him to know. ALEXANDRA Just call his office and say it's an emergency. MATT On the phone he can escape. In person he has nowhere to go. I want to see his face. I want to change his life. Alexander senses his resolve -- it's kind of refreshing, actually -- then breaks into a wicked little smile. ALEXANDRA Then I want to go too. MATT No, you stay with Scottie. ALEXANDRA Fuck that. Let's all get out of town. 79 EXT. AIRPORT - DAY 79 A Hawaiian Airlines inter-island airplane takes off. 80 INT. AIRPLANE - DAY 80 Matt sits isolated from his daughters and Sid across the aisle from him. 63. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 81 INSERT -- MAP OF THE ISLANDS 81 A DOTTED LINE goes from Honolulu to Lihue. 82 EXT. KAUAI AIRPORT - DAY 82 Matt leads his daughters and Sid toward the rental car shuttle when -- COUSIN RALPH (O.S.) Yo, Matt King! Matt turns to see COUSIN RALPH loping over, briefcase in hand. Like Matt, he wears the island businessman's uniform -- Khakis and a Reyn's Spooner shirt. Grinning and nodding, Cousin Ralph gives Matt a back-slap hug and greets Scottie and Alexandra, whose names he clearly forgets. COUSIN RALPH (CONT'D) Whatcha doing here? MATT Just came over for a day or two. COUSIN RALPH Yeah, I just got back from Kahului. A little business over there. MATT Yeah. COUSIN RALPH All right. So you here to talk to some of the cousins? Make sure everybody's happy with your choice? Pay your respects to Cousin Hugh? Matt's smiles to cover the fact that he hasn't actually been thinking about this stuff. MATT No, no, nothing like that. Just a little holoholo. Get the kids out of town. COUSIN RALPH But it is Holitzer, right? We all know it's Holitzer. Cousin Hugh wants him, they go way back. I got my misgivings, though. It's not the highest bid by a longshot. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 64. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 82 CONTINUED: 82 COUSIN RALPH (CONT'D) There's an argument to be made for maxing it out. We only do this once in a lifetime. And in this economy -- MATT Yeah, no, I know. I want to work with you guys, Ralph, I really do. Whatever the majority wants, I'll go along with it. Let's just get it over with. COUSIN RALPH How's Elizabeth doing? She going to be okay? MATT The same. COUSIN RALPH Well, she's a tough gal. She'll be okay. Yeah. Say, where you going, Hanalei? MATT Yeah, Princeville. COUSIN RALPH Come on. I'll give you a ride. 83 EXT. COUSIN RALPH'S JEEP - DAY 83 It's an open jeep with bad shocks, and Cousin Ralph drives fast. The passengers hold on, their hair blown back. MATT Hey, Ralph. COUSIN RALPH Yeah. MATT Turn off over here. Let's go see the land. COUSIN RALPH Take a last look, huh? MATT You got time? COUSIN RALPH I got nothing but time. 65. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 84 EXT. TURNOFF POINT - DAY 84 Cousin Ralph makes a turn and heads inland. 85 EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY 85 The Jeep stops at a FENCE, where a HERD OF CATTLE graze on the other side. Matt jumps out to let the jeep through. RALPH I think this is where a golf course is going to be. They want the golf course to rival Pebble Beach, you know, bring in the big boys. 86 EXT. BUMPY ACCESS ROAD - DAY 86 The Jeep ascends through pastoral countryside. 87 EXT. LOOKOUT POINT - DAY 87 The Jeep stops at the overlook of an astonishingly beautiful swath of land extending from hilltop to bay. All get out, walk to the edge, look out. SID Are you shitting me? You guys own all this land? MATT Not personally. It belongs to a trust. But yeah, it's ours for a few more days. RALPH The other side of that ridge too. You can't see it from here. It's like this, but a little flatter and doesn't have as nice a bay. SID This is outrageous. COUSIN RALPH (pointing, to Matt) Yep. Big resort there on that point. Commercial area over there, houses all through there. I think they should put in a big zip-line. Hell, we should have put in a zip-line. All continue to ogle this awe-inspiring sight. (CONTINUED) 66. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 87 CONTINUED: 87 RALPH Of course, part of me agrees with the cousins who don't want to sell. They're going to make a pretty big stink at the meeting. MATT I know, but we have to sell. The trust has to dissolve in seven years, and if we haven't sold, it'll be a huge mess. Selling now and distributing the cash is the only clean way to do it. RALPH But it's a shame, yeah? On the other hand, hey, it's just sitting there. No one's using it. At least this way the whole world will be able to enjoy it. MATT (to his daughters) Take a good look, girls. In the old days, this was part of your great-great grandmother's inheritance going all the way back to Kamehameha I. With them, we look across this land, vivid and verdant. ALEXANDRA Down there is where Mom and I would camp. MATT We all did, all our lives. A lot of memories. SCOTTIE What about me? I want to camp. I wish we lived in the old days. ALEXANDRA We do. We still do. (to Matt) Do we really have to sell? MATT Doing anything else would get extremely complicated. A lot of your cousins just want the money. Everything has its time. SCOTTIE I want us to keep it! (CONTINUED) 67. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 87 CONTINUED: (2) 87 Matt looks over at Scottie, then at Alexandra. It's clear that Alexandra is moved by this sight. SID Can you like specify what businesses they'll put here? Because you should totally get a Cheesecake Factory. Only one so far's in Waikiki, and it's awesome. You definitely need a Cheesecake Factory. And Taco John's. MOMENTS LATER -- The Kings approach a nearby MONUMENT commemorating "John Lowell "Keoni" King. 1899 - 1974. The plaque depicts a smiling man atop a horse. MATT (to the girls) My grandfather. He really loved this place. So did your mother. So does your mother. 88 EXT. COUSIN RALPH'S JEEP - DAY 88 Cousin Ralph turns off the Kuhio Highway and into PRINCEVILLE, which greets visitors with an immense faux- Italian FOUNTAIN. 89 EXT. PRINCEVILLE - DAY 89 Passing through this immense development, Matt notices the names of the condo complexes: The Sand Piper, The Island Tropic, etc. And he observes TOURISTS along the edge of the golf course, with their visors and fanny packs. 90 EXT. ST. REGIS HOTEL FRONT DOORS - DAY 90 Ralph drops our friends off. 91 INT. ST. REGIS HOTEL LOBBY - DAY 91 Alex and Sid slump against a marble pillar. Scottie has taken her shoes off to slide across the shiny floor. AT THE FRONT DESK -- CLERK Here's your credit card back, Mr. King. And how many keycards will you be needing today for your deluxe suite? (CONTINUED) 68. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 91 CONTINUED: 91 MATT Let's say three. By the way. I'm supposed to meet a buddy of mine I think is staying here. Brian Speer. S- P-E-E-R. CLERK (checking computer) I'm not showing anyone by that name. MATT Thanks. 92 INT. HOTEL SUITE - DAY 92 Moving in. LATER -- Matt is on the telephone, nodding gravely. MATT No, I understand. Okay. Thanks. Matt hangs up, blinks a few times, spaces out a moment. Then he slides open the glass door to the -- 93 EXT. HOTEL SUITE LANAI - DAY 93 -- where he finds Alexandra smoking. MATT Put that out, will you please? Alex shoots him a look, then stamps out the butt on the bottom of her shoe. MATT (CONT'D) You could at least smoke lights. Like Sid. ALEXANDRA I could. MATT Just got off the phone with Dr. Johnston. They did what they had to do a couple hours ago. They've moved her to another floor. They say she seems comfortable, still breathing on her own. She's doing okay. (CONTINUED) 69. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 93 CONTINUED: 93 Alexandra nods at this news and looks off. Matt joins her in gazing out at Hanalei Bay. MATT (CONT'D) So how are you doing, Alex? ALEXANDRA What do you mean? You mean considering Mom's... circling the drain? MATT No, I mean other than that. In general. You haven't been using, have you? ALEXANDRA No, Jesus, I'm not using. MATT Not at all? I smell pot all the time on Sid. ALEXANDRA That's Sid. MATT So you just stopped? Really? ALEXANDRA Look, Dad, it's no big deal. Kids do drugs and they stop. Unless they're like super-ghetto. And you sent me to boarding school, remember? I couldn't get anything anymore. So no, I'm not doing any drugs. But I still think they're fun. Okay, maybe a little pot once in a while. MATT And a little drinking. She can't deny that. MATT (CONT'D) Why are you being so honest? ALEXANDRA Mom's dying. MATT Yeah, well, I'm proud of you. (CONTINUED) 70. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 93 CONTINUED: (2) 93 ALEXANDRA Not much to be proud of. MATT Yeah, there is. We shipped you off. Let them handle it. And now you're here, helping with Scottie, helping me. Thanks. ALEXANDRA You want to know what really pisses me off? That she wouldn't end it. Not even when she knew she was busted. How are we supposed to feel about that? MATT I guess she really liked him. ALEXANDRA So how are we going to find this guy, Sherlock? MATT Right. Well, why don't you two take Scottie to the beach? I'm going to call around a little. We're on an island, for Christ's sake. Everything's just one degree of separation. ALEXANDRA (getting up) We'll find him. 94 EXT. ST. REGIS BEACH - DAY 94 Matt scans the BEACH as he ambles toward Sid and his daughters lying on towels. Scottie is snuggled close to Sid. Matt notices LUMPS OF SAND stuffed into Scottie's bikini top. MATT Hey, what's in your suit? SCOTTIE They're my beach boobs. MATT Take that out. Right now. Alex, Jesus, why'd you let her do that? You too, Sid. Lying on her stomach, Alex lifts her head. (CONTINUED) 71. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 94 CONTINUED: 94 ALEXANDRA I don't know. Take them out, stupid. SID Yeah, Scottie. Honestly. Big boobs look kind of fatty. Scowling, Scottie gets up and starts pulling the sand out of her suit as she stomps toward the water. ALEXANDRA Any luck? MATT The hotels were a dead end, but I took another shot with his office. He's definitely in Hanalei renting a house somewhere -- probably one of those cottages around the bay. Who wants to go for a walk? SID Sounds good. Matt grimaces -- not whom he was hoping for. Alex ties the straps of her bikini and flips over. ALEXANDRA Yeah, let's go. Scottie! 95 MOMENTS LATER -- 95 Our friends weave their way among BEACH-GOERS. Matt has thought to bring along a print-out of Brian Speer's PHOTO, which he and Alex glance at discreetly. Sid trails behind. SCOTTIE (catching up to Matt) Can we swim with the sharks? I read in the hotel magazine how they put you in a cage in the ocean and throw shark feed in the water and sharks swim right up to you. Can we do that? ALEXANDRA Scottie, we're not really here to do stuff like that. 96 EXT. HANALEI BAY - PINE TREES - DAY 96 The sun approaches the horizon. (CONTINUED) 72. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 96 CONTINUED: 96 Father, daughters and Sid have walked past people and houses. Now they're walking just to be walking. We see them from a distance, although we hear them very close. SCOTTIE How'd you and Mom meet? MATT I was with a law school buddy from the mainland, and I took him to the club. We were just coming in from paddling, and your mom was on her way out, and she looked at me and said, "Do you think it's going to snow today?" We all got beers when she came back in. I had already seen her around. That was it. I got her number. SCOTTIE Did you think she was pretty? MATT She knocked me out. SCOTTIE What do you love about her? MATT I love... I don't know. The way we are with each other, most of the time, anyway. I love how she's more capable of feeling joy than anyone I've ever known. I just like being with her, just riding bikes or going out to dinner, even if it's just a plate lunch at Rainbow's. Years ago we used to do a lot of paddling together. ALEXANDRA Can we drop this? Jesus. (mimicking) "What do you love about Mom, Daddy?" Shut up, already. (to Matt) And stop babying her. MATT Easy, Alex. We're just talking. 97 EXT. HANALEI BAY FOREST AREA - LATE AFTERNOON 97 Our friends continue walking, this time amid THICK TREES along the shoreline. Again we see them from afar. (CONTINUED) 73. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 97 CONTINUED: 97 MATT Your mom got chased by a shark once. Very close call. ALEXANDRA When was that? MATT We were on Moloka'i with Mark and Kai, and your mom was out surfing and saw a shark right beneath her on a wave. Like right beneath her. She got down on her stomach and started paddling like crazy, and this big fin kept following her. She even paddled up onto the nearest rocks instead of all the way to shore. Got cuts all over her legs and hands. Only time I ever saw your mother scared, and she was really scared. She even threw up. Crying and shaking. I had to hold her for a long time. She really thought she was going to die. Of course she hid all that from the Mitchells, turned it into a funny "Me-versus-a-shark" story. I told her... ALEXANDRA Yeah? MATT I told her it wasn't her time yet. They continue in silence a few moments. SCOTTIE I wish Mom was here. 98 EXT. ST. REGIS HOTEL BEACH AREA - LATE AFTERNOON 98 The sun is now very low on the horizon as our friends make their way back to the hotel. Again we see them from a distance. MATT I'll ask you that same question, Scottie. What do you love about Mom? SCOTTIE Lots of stuff. She's not old and ugly like other moms. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 74. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 98 CONTINUED: 98 SCOTTIE (CONT'D) I like her stories -- like how she streaked at the wedding and the time she beat a wild pig with a shoe. How about you, Alex? ALEXANDRA Why are we still talking about this? (then --) I like how she's not afraid of anything. 99 INT. HOTEL SUITE SITTING ROOM - NIGHT 99 The four are splayed out watching TV amid the messy remains of ROOM SERVICE DINNER. Alexandra and Scottie wield the REMOTE and stumble upon the channels promoting direct-access ADULT MOVIES. SCOTTIE Let's watch one of these! ALEXANDRA We're not watching porn. SCOTTIE Reina's dad watches pornos. Reina calls them masturbation movies. Her dad has some. She plays them when her parents aren't home and one time invited boys over to see if they grew down there. One did. SID Reina's awesome. MATT Were you there? Have you seen any of those movies? SCOTTIE No. ALEXANDRA You've got to watch her with the internet. And Reina's dad. Scottie, Reina is a fucked-up ho-bag, and you need to stay away from her. Do you want to end up like me? SCOTTIE Yes. (CONTINUED) 75. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 99 CONTINUED: 99 ALEXANDRA I mean the earlier me, when I was mean to you and yelling at mom all the time. SCOTTIE No. ALEXANDRA Well, Reina's going to be a meth-head, and she's going to get used by stupid guys. She's a twat. Say it. SCOTTIE She's a twat. (running across the room) Twat, twat, twat, twat! MATT Stop that! (to Alexandra) I don't get it. I don't know what to do... these things she does. What goes on in her head? You weren't like that. ALEXANDRA It'll go away. MATT I'm not so sure. I mean, look how you kids talk in front of me. It's like you don't respect authority. Alex looks at him -- authority? 100 INT. HOTEL SUITE BEDROOM - NIGHT 100 Matt tosses and turns, gets up and goes to the bathroom. MOMENTS LATER -- Exiting the bathroom, he decides he should make a routine inspection and wanders into -- 101 INT. HOTEL SUITE SITTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 101 -- where he eyes a lump on the FOLD-OUT BED. He creeps up when Sid awakens. SID Hey, what's up? MATT Hi. (CONTINUED) 76. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 101 CONTINUED: 101 SID Checking on me or something? A sheepish look on his face, Matt takes a seat on the edge of the bed. MATT I don't, uh... I haven't been sleeping very much lately. SID Understandable. MATT I'm worried about my daughters. I'm worried there's something wrong with them. SID I used to do some messed-up shit when I was a kid. Still do. It's going to get worse after your wife dies. MATT What does Alex really think about this stuff that's going on? What does she say? SID She doesn't. MATT What do you mean? I thought she talks to you all the time. SID We don't really talk about our like "issues." We just, I don't know, we deal with our shit by talking about other stuff and having a good time. MATT What would you do if you were me? How would you handle my daughters? How would you handle... the situation of this guy we're trying to find? Matt can't believe what he just asked, but he's desperate for clues from even the unlikeliest source. (CONTINUED) 77. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 101 CONTINUED: (2) 101 SID I told you what I'd do -- I'd lay his nuts on a dresser and hit `em with a spiked bat. With the daughters, I don't know. I'd take them on a trip. Or no, I'd buy `em a bunch of shit. Like with all the money you're going to get when you sell the land -- you're going to make stupid money, right? -- dude, you could buy them anything. Matt questions his sanity at having asked Sid any advice. MATT Do you want some of it? Some money? SID Sure. MATT If I gave you a lot of money right now, tonight, would you leave? SID Why would I leave? MATT No, Sid, I'm asking you a favor. If I give you money, will you leave? SID Oh. I get it. Is that what you want? You want me to go? MATT I guess not. SID Look, dude, you're right. If I had daughters, I wouldn't know what to do. Exchange them for sons, I guess. MATT Then I might wind up with something like you. SID I'm not so bad. I'm smart. MATT You're about a hundred miles away from Smartville. No offense. (CONTINUED) 78. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 101 CONTINUED: (3) 101 SID You're mistaken, counselor. I'm smart. I have good hygiene. I'm an decent guitarist, a good cook. I cook food all the time. I'm vice-president of the Punahou chess club. And I always have weed. MATT I'm sure your parents are proud. SID It's possible. My mom's sort of busy right now. MATT What does she do, your mom? SID She's a receptionist at a pet clinic. But mostly she's been getting the house together after my dad died. My dad died a few months ago. At first refusing to fall for it, Matt sees this is no prank. SID (CONT'D) November 24th. Drunk driver. Actually both drivers were drunk. Yeah. Sid smiles and nods as though to make Matt feel better about the sad news he just shared. MATT Goodnight, Sid. I'll see you tomorrow. SID Goodnight, boss. 102 EXT. HANALEI BAY - DAWN 102 SUNRISE. Matt JOGS along the nearly empty beach -- just a few surf FISHERMAN and PADDLERS. He's clearly out of shape but makes a good effort. ANOTHER GUY jogs toward Matt wearing a "Stanford Lacrosse" T- shirt and running shorts with long slits up the sides. BRIAN SPEER! They pass each other. Matt continues on a moment in disbelief, then TURNS AROUND and follows. His strides long and efficient, Brian gives Matt a run for his money. (CONTINUED) 79. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 102 CONTINUED: 102 Soon Brian cuts up the beach toward one of the COTTAGES that line the bay. Matt follows, awkwardly trying to appear nonchalant. MATT (under his breath) Hi, you don't know me, but I know you. Hi, you don't know me, but I know you. Brian Speer, right? Hi, I'm Liz's husband. That's right. Fuckface. Brian disappears up a little PATH through a HEDGE. Matt quickens his pace toward -- 103 EXT. HANALEI BEACH COTTAGE - CONTINUOUS 103 -- where he spies on Brian walking across a wide lawn toward a lovely OLD COTTAGE. MATT Hi. You don't know me, but I know you. Brian disappears inside, emerging moments later chugging GATORADE. Courage gathered, Matt is about to charge forward when he stops short -- the door opens again, and out comes a beautiful WOMAN in a white bathing suit and white sun hat. Then two LITTLE BOYS. Fucker's got a family. Not the right moment. 104 EXT. HANALEI BAY - DAY 104 The sun is higher, and the BEACH is growing populated. Matt sits on the sand, glancing occasionally back toward the cottage. Next to him lie his daughters and Sid. Suddenly TWO BOYS -- Brian's kids -- come running through the hedge and past Matt on their way into the water. Matt turns around to see Brian's wife JULIE SPEER dutifully trailing behind. JULIE Stay in the zone, please! That means you, Skylar. And you too, Colt. MATT (low) Skylar and Colt? (CONTINUED) 80. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 104 CONTINUED: 104 Matt watches the little boys flop into the surf. Mrs. Speer follows, wading in up to her calves. Matt stands to look whether Brian is coming down to the beach too. No such luck. MATT (CONT'D) (to Alex) I'll be right back. Matt gets to his feet, brushes off sand, and walks casually toward Mrs. Speer, maintaining a comfortable distance. Alexandra watches. IN THE SURF -- Matt takes up a casual stance near Mrs. Speer and pretends to look out at the water, just hanging out. Mrs. Speer continues to keep a watchful eye on her boisterous boys. MATT (CONT'D) Looks like you got yourself a handful with those two. JULIE Yeah. MATT Must keep you pretty busy. JULIE They're pretty non-stop, but they're at a really fun age. MATT How old are they? JULIE SPEER Eight and ten. MATT (pointing) I have two girls. Ten and seventeen. That whole non-stop thing. That never changes. JULIE SPEER You guys live here? MATT We live on O'ahu. (CONTINUED) 81. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 104 CONTINUED: (2) 104 JULIE SPEER Oh, so do we. MATT Yeah, I'm just getting my girls out of town for a couple days. Their, uh, their mother is in the hospital, so I thought I'd give them a little break. JULIE Oh, no. MATT She'll be fine. JULIE What's wrong? If you don't mind my asking. MATT Just a little boating accident. Hit her head a little too hard. Does Julie recognize any of this, or even recognize him? Doesn't seem like it. JULIE A sailboat? Or one with a motor? MATT (laughs, then --) One with a motor. She's actually sort of charming, this Julie Speer. JULIE Well, good luck with that. I wish her well. Skylar, don't go so far! MATT You guys staying in one of the cottages over there? JULIE Yes, my husband had to come here for work, so we thought we'd all make a little vacation of it. He knows the owner, so -- MATT Hugh King. (CONTINUED) 82. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 104 CONTINUED: (3) 104 JULIE That's right. MATT He's my cousin. JULIE Oh. Then you probably know my husband. Brian Speer? That hangs there a moment. Matt suppresses the sudden desire to spill the beans. MATT No, can't say as I do. JULIE Oh, I just assumed, since he's been -- SCOTTIE Dad! Dad, come here! Something bit me! Matt looks over to see Scottie very agitated about something. MATT Excuse me. Nice talking to you. JULIE You too. Take care. Matt trots off. 105 A MONTAGE -- 105 Images of Hanalei as the sun begins to set over the magnificent taro fields. Wind rustles the trees. Mist falls into the valley. MATT (V.O.) How can I forgive her for loving someone else? Did she even know about his family? Was she that in love? Does she miss him from her coma? Does she wish he could be with her and not me? 106 EXT. HANALEI TOWN - DUSK 106 Our friends walk along roadside tourist shops toward -- 83. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 107 INT. TAHITI NUI RESTAURANT - DUSK 107 A lived-in hangout with a wood interior, woven mats on the walls, and tables carved into with steak knives. A UKULELE CLUB jams in a corner. As our foursome enter the joint, Matt notices -- COUSIN HUGH yucking it up at the BAR with other REGULARS. MATT (to Alexandra) There's Cousin Hugh. Get us a table. Order me something. ALEXANDRA Like what? MATT Anything. AT THE BAR -- Matt wedges his way in beside his third cousin, who despite his booziness and very local flavor is nonetheless a King family patriarch. COUSIN HUGH Heeey! Mattie-boy! What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you until the meeting. He looks over his shoulder to see whom Matt might have come in with. COUSIN HUGH (CONT'D) Is that...? MATT Yeah, Scottie and Alex. COUSIN HUGH Big girls now! So what are you doing here, man? MATT Just getting the girls out of the hospital for a couple days, you know, change of scenery. (CONTINUED) 84. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 107 CONTINUED: 107 COUSIN HUGH Yeah, boy, what you've been going through. That's a tough deal. (taking a drink) But Elizabeth, hey, she's, she's a tough gal, I'll tell you that. A fighter. She'll make it. Get you a drink? MATT Sure, what're you having? COUSIN HUGH Barney, an old-fashioned for my cousin here. Nice to see you, Matt. How you been otherwise? MATT Not much otherwise. Between our business and the hospital, you know, I've just trying to keep my head above water. So listen, I see you have some people staying in the cottage. COUSIN HUGH Oh, hey, Mattie, if I'd known you were coming, I coulda -- MATT No, no, no, I'm just wondering about the guy you're renting to. I think his name is Brian Speer. COUSIN HUGH Yeah, yeah, real determined son-of-a- bitch. He's Lou's sister's... No, wait. Lou has a sister, and the sister's husband... Lou's brother-in- law is cousins with that guy. MATT Huh? Who's Lou? COUSIN HUGH No, wait. You mean the cottages on the bay or the cottage back by the trail? MATT The bay. The guy with the wife and two boys. (CONTINUED) 85. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 107 CONTINUED: (2) 107 COUSIN HUGH Yeah, that's right. Determined son-of- a-bitch. Anyway, the point is the guy we're doing business with is that guy's brother-in-law. Works for him. MATT Brian Speer. COUSIN HUGH That's the guy. MATT What do you mean, the guy we're doing business with? COUSIN HUGH Who do you think? Don Holitzer. MATT Holitzer. COUSIN HUGH That's what I'm saying. That's Don's brother-in-law in the cottage. You don't know him? I would have thought you'd know him. He's a realtor over by you. So if we sell to Don -- and that's what we're going to do, right? That's what you want too. Nice guy, Don. He'll do right by us. Then when Don develops and re-sells and leases and all that -- MATT Yeah, yeah -- COUSIN HUGH He's letting this brother-in-law in the cottage handle the transactions. A lot of them, anyway. Big score for that guy. It takes a moment for this stone to drop to the bottom of Matt's well. MATT What's he like? COUSIN HUGH Who? (CONTINUED) 86. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 107 CONTINUED: (3) 107 MATT Brian Speer -- what else do you know about him? COUSIN HUGH Not much. He's lucky. The bugga's lucky. His sister is married to the guy. Son-of-a-bitch is going to make a shitload of money on commissions. MATT Not if we don't go with that bid. Cousin Hugh's eyes emerge momentarily from their drunken fog to give Matt a firm, steely warning. COUSIN HUGH We all want Don. You do too, Matt. You've said as much. MATT No, I know. You're right. Okay. Well. Good to see you, Hugh. COUSIN HUGH You too. MATT See you at the meeting. COUSIN HUGH I'll be there. TRACK TO THE TABLE firmly on MATT'S FACE as he processes this horrifying news delivered so casually. AT THE TABLE -- Matt takes a seat. Scottie and Sid eat fried appetizers. Alexandra just sits watching the musicians. SID This place rocks. SCOTTIE Totally. ALEXANDRA We ordered you mahi. (CONTINUED) 87. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 107 CONTINUED: (4) 107 MATT (low) Great. The music grows more frenetic. Matt looks around the room, alienated from everything -- from the fried food and the tourists, from the umbrellas in the drinks, from his daughters enjoying the music and this cretin called Sid. Why can't a nuclear bomb blow the whole island up right now? 108 EXT. THE ROAD BY THE BAY - SUNSET 108 The light is swiftly fading, and our heroes are little more than SILHOUETTES as they walk back to the hotel. Sid and Scottie talk and laugh together. Alex walks with her father. MATT So, guess what. Turns out Brian Speer is connected to Don Holitzer. ALEXANDRA Who's Don Holitzer? MATT The guy we're going to sell to. And that woman today at the beach. That was his wife. ALEXANDRA Whose wife? (then --) The hottie with the hat? You sure? (off his nod) So he's married. Nice. Why didn't you say anything? MATT It's him I want to talk to, not her. I know where their cottage is. ALEXANDRA You do? So let's do it right now. Let's go knock on his door. MATT That's what I'm saying. Alexandra quietly exults. (CONTINUED) 88. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 108 CONTINUED: 108 MATT (CONT'D) Don't do that. Don't be excited. This isn't fun. ALEXANDRA Well, it's what we came here to do. MATT So you to talk to his wife while I talk to him. And figure out some way to distract Scottie and their kids. ALEXANDRA Got it. Sid, come here! A109 MOMENTS LATER -- A109 The team are gathered for a little huddle. ALEXANDRA Listen, Dad and I are going to go talk to some friends while Sid takes you back to the hotel, okay? SCOTTIE I want to come too. SID I don't. Who wants to sit around talking in some house? Let's ditch these losers and go watch some serious TV. SCOTTIE Yeah! As they walk away -- SID (to Matt, low) Give `em hell, boss. 109 EXT. HANALEI BAY COTTAGE - NIGHT 109 Zero hour. Matt and Alexandra approach the cottage from the road and start to walk around it toward the beach. ALEXANDRA Are you ready? MATT No. What should I say? (CONTINUED) 89. The Descendants PINK Shooting Draft 4/11/10 Draft 109 CONTINUED: 109 ALEXANDRA You'll think of something. You're a lawyer. MATT I'm sorry for sucking you into this. I should be doing this alone. It's selfish of me. ALEXANDRA I'm the one who sucked you in. I'm the one who knew. Just as they are round the house toward the lanai, Julie Speer backs out of the screen door with a plate of hamburger patties. Alex nudges Matt. ALEXANDRA (CONT'D) Don't be a