The Descendants Page #6

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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.

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