Just when I thought I was totally sick of seeing bittersweet indie dramedies about dysfunctional families, along comes Alexander Payne with his first feature film in seven years to get me interested all over again. While the main draw for The Descendants will surely be George Clooney starring in yet another potential Academy Award contender, it’s also great to see people like Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, and Robert Forster getting some roles to sink their teeth into. Matthew Lillard, on the other hand, also has a significant role, but is conspicuously absent from the trailer. Smart move!

Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants tells the story of Matt King, a father who must attempt to salvage a relationship with his two daughters when his wife is involved in a boating accident in Hawaii. While it doesn’t appear to be laugh out loud hilarious, the melancholy yet playful tone of the trailer falls squarely in Alexander Payne’s wheelhouse. Either way I’m very curious to see the project that Payne has chosen to follow up his 2004 hit Sideways, and at this point I can only assume that it will be worth the wait. The Descendants hits select theatres on December 16th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.