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 | Volvo | Night

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:

The screenplay written by Michael Cahill was entered into the 2004 American Zoetrope Screenwriting contest and though didn't win, was a finalist.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When they turn on the lights in the dark Costco, it instantly becomes brightly lit. In reality, HID lamps are very dim when first switched on and require several minutes to warm up and reach full brightness.

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 "JAG" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Let's Pretend There's A Moon

Fine Performances In A Slightly Flawed Film

Make no mistake about it. Evan Rachael Wood is fast becoming a most welcome addition to the rising wave of young stars in films today. I totally admired her work in 'Thirteen' (2003),and 'Running With Scissors'(2006). In this one, she plays the daughter of a recently released mental patient (Michael Douglas,sporting an unkempt beard)who is obsessing over buried treasure somewhere in the suburbs of California. Michael Douglas makes his performance as Charles work nicely, acting like a loony that was released from the home a bit too early, in contrast to Wood's anchor that holds things together. The screenplay does contain a few potholes along the way, but not enough to make this worth avoiding.