King of California (2007)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Mike Cahill

Writer:

Mike Cahill (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2007 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

We're All Searching for Something ...

Plot:

An unstable dad who after getting out of a mental institution tries to convince his daughter that there's Spanish gold buried somewhere under suburbia.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Father | Quest | Southern California | Unconscious

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Charlie
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Miranda
Willis Burks II	...	Pepper
Laura Kachergus	...	Rita
Paul Lieber	...	Doug
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Kelly
Anne L. Nathan	...	Applebee's Manager (as Anne Nathan)
Arthur Santiago	...	McDonald's Manager
Ashley Greene	...	McDonald's Customer
Ian Hopps	...	Boy
Anna Khaja	...	Officer Contreras
Will Rothhaar	...	Security Guard
Annie O'Donnell	...	Greeter
Greg Davis Jr.	...	Joseph
Jeanie Hackett	...	Teacher

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, mature thematic elements and brief drug references.

Runtime:

93 min | Canada:96 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG | Germany:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42631) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Millennium Films

Trivia:

According to Michael Douglas, the film was shot in 31 days.

Goofs:

Continuity: The headrests in the Volvo keep changing from the old 1985 and earlier style, to the more squat 1986 and later style. This is due to the fact that two of the cars were used throughout the movie, one of which broke down during filming.

Quotes:

Miranda: You want to know how California got it's name? It's not named after some explorer, or king. Nope. Someone made the name up - a writer. He just pulled it out of his imagination in the 16th century, in Spain. He made up this place where there was unlimited gold...

Movie Connections:

References "JAG" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Malambo No. 1

Wacky but sweet comedy with a delightful Michael Douglas.

King Of California is best described as a wacky but sweet comedy. Michael Douglas is really delightful and that's reason enough to check out this film. He plays one of the most likable characters I've seen in a long time. The plot is so 'out there' I don't even know how to write a plot summary without making it sound like a silly kids movie. When in fact, it's a mature movie, dealing with real issues without ever getting preachy.

Some people have posted threads here on IMDb asking: Is this a comedy? Well, I'm not saying it's a typical American in your face comedy but it sure is funny to me.

Some complaints: Evan Rachel Wood is not really that great of an actress (yet). Of course she's talented but I mean...she was talented four years ago. Now I'm like...when is she finally gonna deliver. To be fair, I haven't seen all of her movies so maybe I should check out some other ones before spewing criticism.

Also, King Of California is one of those movies that left me feeling indifferent. That's not a flaw, it's just the kind of movie KOC is. I like movies that confront me or get me thinking.

I wouldn't recommend it to most of my friends, since I predict about half the people are really gonna like it, and half are gonna find it boring. I would recommend it to more mature people, who like independent films.

6.7/10