King of California

Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Willis Burks II
Directed by: Mike Cahill
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A father (Michael Douglas) who suffers from mental illness and is taken care of by his young daughter (Evan Racehl Wood). He becomes obsessed with finding a lost Spanish treasure in the hills of California, dragging his daughter along on his quest.

Review:

Tim: King of California is a comedy that does deliver a few laughs, even though it isn't the greatest film. Smallish, independent movies definitely have an advantage in that they are freer to take chances and tell small, interesting stories. However, they still need to work as movies and as a form of entertainment. This film does a few things right, but it never really works as a truly effective comedy. I didn't mind watching this movie, but I wasn't overly impressed, either.

The film's major strength is the cast, and specifically, Michael Douglas. Douglas hasn't had a high profile role in some time, so I almost forgot what an amazing actor he is- no matter the role or genre, he is a joy to watch on screen. I loved his performance here, as he wholly embraced the crazy for this role. Douglas' appearance alone solicited a number of laughs from me- he just looks so crazy, I couldn't help but laugh every time I saw him on screen- his presence alone made me smile. He also manages to give a very good comedic performance. He has fun with the role, and that translated on screen. Along with Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood is quite good as well. Wood is surprisingly effective for an actress of her age. She works well with Douglas and is believable in her role. I enjoyed watching the interactions between Wood and Douglas- their relationship is the fuel for the entire movie to go forward.

The story of a crazy guy searching for gold isn't exactly new. This storyline has been featured in a number of movies, and frankly, it has been told better in other films. Still, the story is at least fairly entertaining. It does wander a bit and loses it focus at various points of the film. The story manages to hold our attention, but only gently. This isn't the type of movie that will firmly grasp hold of you- you will be interested, but not overly engaged.

The comedy is actually pretty decent. While never overly funny, there are a few very funny moments and some fairly good scenes peppered throughout the movie. These come at welcome times, getting you back on track and re-focused on the story. While I was watching this movie, I felt somewhat connected to the characters and actually wanted to know how their story would play out (to be fair, I had some reservations that it would end in disappointment, but I did still want to find out). You probably won't be bored with the film, but you won't be overly excited, either.

King of California is a fairly decent comedy that does enough right to be considered decent, but not enough right to be good. It exists in that gray area- a movie you didn't hate, but you couldn't really claimed you liked, either. The story is fairly entertaining and the performances of Douglas and Wood are worth it. Still, this movie needed to be better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: City Slickers, Romancing the Stone, War of the Roses, Across the Universe, The In-Laws