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And the winner is … Kauai, if 'Descendants' scores Oscar

By Rosemarie Bernardo

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 25, 2012

FOX SEARCHLIGHT

George Clooney and Shailene Woodley star in the Oscar-nominated "The Descendants." If the movie is a winner on Sunday, Kauai can expect a tourism boost.

Kauai residents say they expect a big boost in tourists if the critically acclaimed movie "The Descendants" is a winner Sunday in the 84th annual Academy Awards.

Businesses already report increases in visitor and resident interest and traffic driven by the movie featuring actor George Clooney — whose character, Matt King, is the conflicted scion of a land-rich kamaaina family — because people want to visit the places where the movie was filmed on the Garden Island.

Kipu Ranch Adventures, Roberts Hawaii and Kauai Vacation Rentals have received steady inquiries since the movie, directed by Alexander Payne, opened in theaters in November. "The Descendants" received Oscar nominations for best picture, best actor, best director, film editing and adapted screenplay. It won Golden Globes for best motion picture and best actor as well as the Writers Guild Award for adapted screenplay.

Kauai is well represented in the movie and has left an impression with moviegoers, according to Kauai Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho. The agency hosted a reception Thursday at a Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles to promote Kauai. Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. honored writer Kaui Hart Hemmings for her novel "The Descendants," which was adapted for the screen.

The movie already is "a win" to them, Kanoho said, regardless of what happens at the Oscars, as Payne did an exceptional job capturing the essence of modern-day Kauai.

Antone Teves, co-owner of Kipu Ranch Adventures, said the film has helped increase business by 20 percent. "We are busier now than we were at the same time last year," he said. The eco-tour company is the only one on the island that has access to the site where King and his two daughters stood, gazing at the breathtaking view of Kipu Kai as he contemplates selling the unspoiled oceanfront land.

The site where the three stood is the last stop of the company's three-hour all-terrain vehicle tour. It's a nice way to end the tour, with guests treated to an amazing panoramic view, Teves said.

Lucy Kawaihalau, owner of Kauai Vacation Rentals, said they receive a few calls a week from people inquiring about the vacation rental at Hanalei Bay where King and his older daughter visit his wife's lover, Brian Speer, played by Matthew Lillard.

Roy Cordeiro, vice president of sales and marketing strategy for Roberts Hawaii, said they observed a 10 to 15 percent increase for their tour of Kauai movie locations. Guests on the tour even are taken for lunch at the Tahiti Nui Restaurant, where Clooney's character meets with his cousin Hugh, played by Beau Bridges.

"We're looking forward to Sunday. We're all hoping it becomes the big winner," said Cordeiro.

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CloudForest wrote:

Ahhhhhhhh ....... Kauai !!! Now this gives me incentive to go see Bora Bora and make sure that Kauai is the most beautiful island on earth. I'll call it "research". Now let's hope that no one ever makes a movie on the Big Island.

on February 25,2012 | 02:33AM

KeithHaugen wrote:

Talked with a Kaua`i friend who said it was a good movie, shows the beauty of Kaua`i, but makes people on the Mainland think that people in the Islands talk like those in Hollywood -- "F" this, "F" that,"F" you -- even from teens in the movie. "Lucky for us it is an "R" rated movie so young people won't see it," said he.

on February 25,2012 | 04:27AM

al_kiqaeda wrote:

Actually, they DO speak like that in Kauai. Just try and send a ferry over there and you'll see...

on February 25,2012 | 06:27AM

residenttaxpayer wrote:

Lol...thats funny and probably true.

on February 25,2012 | 07:05AM

BlueDolphin53 wrote:

Make no mistake....the loons who opposed the ferry were not representative of the majority of Kauaians.

on February 25,2012 | 07:51AM

al_kiqaeda wrote:

I know, but the quiet majority are guilty for keeping silent and letting the cookoos fly over the nest.

on February 25,2012 | 02:27PM

loio wrote:

I thought it was a very well done movie, and that it makes people want to visit or return to Hawaii, but also that gratuitously tossing into certain vulgar words and gestures was unfortunate. That said, I think that "people in the Islands" talk every beat as foul as on the Mainland ... if not worse. They commonly use the F-er word, they just sometimes pronounce it differently. Gotta be honest, not idealizing, about ourselves.

on February 25,2012 | 05:20AM

NanakuliBoss wrote:

Those in the movie are from the mainland.

on February 25,2012 | 03:55PM

tigerwarrior wrote:

I correctly predicted the Best Picture winner 5 years in a row and have every intention of continuing my streak. The Descendents is my pick to take home the golden statuette for Best Picture not just because I'm biased in favor of films made in Hawai'i--but more so because of its universal appeal. Take for example the 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes or the score of 84 from Metacritic. Moving on to the major film awards--The Descendents won the Golden Globe award for Best Picture and recently became the American Film Institutes Movies of the Year award winner. This film also won Best Picture at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Florida Film Critics Circle--not to mention all the other film awards this film has been nominated for.

on February 26,2012 | 01:05AM

Reade1 wrote:

Good movie but it also shows that the missionaries that came here did not influence their off springs enough to continue the respect of language. Most of the upper end society so called kama'aina families became the riches families and land owners in the Hawai'i Nei. Their behavior has changed Hawai'i Nei until eternity into any other big city with major problems. If this continues at this rate Hawaii Nei will never be as our creator had made Hawai'i to be. Just the traffic alone is the biggest hoailona (sign) of desecration... also homeless, drugs, and racism increases comes with the changes. It is all great for those who our making money but the one that hurts most are Hawai'i Aina (land) and Moana (ocean). The pollution rate can not be seen but it is one of those hidden everyday challenges we face that will take away many species of plants and marine life. The sewage needs to be dump somewhere and Moana, our ocean is the only way out. Golf coarse fertilizer run -off after heavy rains enters the streams and into the ocean. There is so much that can be said but money first, make your ends meet, let the next generation worry about it. This is a good movie of truth and it is sad to have a movie like this to increase visitors for Kauai. It's all about having more money instead of having enough money to live healthy and with respect..

on February 27,2012 | 10:00AM