King of California (2007)

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 | Volvo | Night

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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 | Australia:M

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: When my father moved away, I lived alone in our house. Which was not exactly normal, but at least I had a routine. Before, when he was home, I could never exactly get comfortable, because it always felt like something was about to happen.

Movie Connections:

References Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (1936)

Soundtrack:

Summer Breeze

A very slow moving movie featuring superb acting from Douglas.

"King Of California" is the art house version of "National Treasure" or "Indiana Jones". It's the story of Charlie (Michael Douglas) who is released from the mental institution in which he has spent several years and is reunited with his sixteen year old daughter Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood). Although he is obviously a few sandwiches short of a picnic, Charlie manages to convince his daughter to join him in a quest for buried treasure. Together they move through Southern California looking for clues leading to the lost doubloons.

If, after reading that description of the plot, you're now expecting these two characters to run through dark tunnels with giant boulders rolling after them then you'd be wrong. "King Of California" is a slow and very quiet movie which focuses more on Charlie and Miranda repairing their relationship than the actual treasure hunt. Miranda has been forced to take a job at McDonalds in order to survive during her father's absence meaning that she is now the rational one whilst Charlie acts as a child. Their search for the treasure takes them to golf courses and busy stores where Charlie sees signs that they're on the right trail whilst Miranda, not fully believing in Charlie's dream, simply wants to spend some time with the father she's lost touch with.

Douglas gives one of his finest performances in recent years as Charlie, managing to make the character seem insane whilst also being totally appealing (witness the way in which he wins arguments by stating absurd facts and telling people to "look it up"). Evan Rachel Wood is also perfect in her role. It may not be as showy a role as Douglas' but Wood convinces you that Miranda absolutely loves her father despite all his faults (and he certainly has a lot).

Although I liked "King Of California", I really can't say that I loved it - the plot was perhaps a little too slow moving for my tastes. I certainly admired its message, however, that you should follow your dreams because dreams give you something to believe in. If you have patience and like character-driven movies which reveal their charms at a very leisurely pace (such as the movies "Sideways" or "Rushmore"), then I'd recommend watching "King Of California" for its superb acting and life-affirming message. Others - like myself - however, who prefer story lines to move along at a much quicker rate may find it a bit boring in places and slightly too whimsical overall.