George Clooney in a short clip on the teaser site for Alexander Payne's "The Descendants"

It's extremely rare for anyone to get too excited about a movie teaser site these days, but when it features the first look at the long awaited return of a critically acclaimed filmmaker people take notice.

This morning Fox Searchlight launched a site for Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" which features a short clip of star George Clooney running around a Hawaii neighborhood only to stop and ask two other actors "Who is he?"  You can watch the clip at the appropriately titled who-ishe.org site here.

Little is known about the storyline for "The Descendants" except that it was shot in the nation's 50th state and the previously released log line: "A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident."  Is Clooney the land baron?  If so, then who is "he"?  And that's why they call it a teaser folks…

[Update:  Call it intense allergies, a premonition of despair over FOX canceling half their schedule or lack of sugar, but I missed the boat on this one.  The movie is based on a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings and Searchlight has a more indepth breakdown on their site:

From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning "Sideways," set in Hawaii, "The Descendants" is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki.  The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries. ]

The dramedy also stars Judy Greer, Shailene Woodley ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), Matthew Lillard (career boost!), Beau Bridges and Robert Forster among others.  This is Payne's first directing effort on the big screen since "Sideways" almost seven year sago.  Since then, Payne helmed the pilot for HBO's "Hung" and produced the indies "Cedar Rapids" and "King of California."

Like all of Payne's films before it, "The Descendants" should be a key player this awards season.  It opens theatrically Dec. 16.

For everyday entertainment commentary and more follow Gregory Ellwood on twitter @HitFixGregory.