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39 comments in total

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62 out of 85 people found the following comment useful :-
Michael Douglas Plays Whacky-Zanny and This Movie is a Whole Lot of Good, 29 January 2007

Author: sundevil27 from Salt Lake City, UT USA

After seeing the trailer for this movie and checking out the cast and filmmakers I made this a must see at this years Sundance Film Festival. The combination of Alexander Payne (Sideways,Election,About Schmidt) producing and Michael Douglas playing wacky gives hope for another great dramedy along the lines of Little Miss Sunsine and Sideways. King of California easily meets those hopes and for many it will be much more enjoyable then those former films. The movie features Douglas as Charlie a recently released mental patient with a whimsical fascination for buried Spanish treasure. While Charlie has been away his 16 year old daughter Miranda played by Evan Racheal Wood has managed to avoid child services, dropped out of school and support herself and their home by working full-time at Mcdonalds. Upon Charlies arrival home Miranda finds that life was much easier without Charlie around, not only does she have to support their home but now she has to take care of her unstable father. Persitent with his intent to search for a mythical buried Spanish treasure Miranda begrudgingly agrees to help him. The movie finds its humor and warmth in the moments shared between Charlie and Miranda during their treasure hunting through developed suburbia that leads them to a unlikely final destination. In the end the real treasure may not be the gold after all but the love between a daughter and father.

The ever developing Evan Racheal Wood is solid in the role of Miranda, the whole movie develops through her narration and her acting is effortlessly touching. Michael Douglas is outstanding and in true form here, from start to finish he's a joy to watch, this is easily his best performance since Wonder Boys. This will definitely be one of the best movies in 2007, expect praise a plenty for Douglas come awards time.

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23 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Wacky but sweet comedy with a delightful Michael Douglas., 7 January 2008

Author: Panterken from Belgium

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

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22 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
A nice little movie where all the things that could have been done wrong weren't..., 9 November 2007

Author: kvinneslandr from United States

It was too easy to expect a rug-chewing performance from Michael Douglas as a crazy person, and an exasperated, eye-rolling two-dimensional "oh I'm so put-upon by the world" job from Evan Rachel Wood.

Thankfully, those clichés were avoided in this poignant and ultimately joyful and uplifting (thank God!) story of quiet nobility, personal vision and purpose, and underlying love and strength amongst otherwise "broken" people.

It's refreshing to go into a theatre not expecting much and coming out enlightened by the combined vision of the actors, writer, director, and cinematographer.

Bravo to all involved, and here's hoping to see a strong presence at the Academy Awards.

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14 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
A Tired Script but a Platform for the Skillful Acting of Douglas and Wood, 1 February 2008

Author: gradyharp from United States

KING OF California may not break any records for innovation of thought or script but it is a tightly made little film that allows veteran actor Michael Douglas a lollipop of a wacky role to remind us that he does have comedic talent! It also gives 20-year old Evan Rachel Wood the opportunity to compete with a Pro and come out an equal - quite a feat for such a young actress. Written and directed by Mike Cahill the story does have appeal, especially since it is set in Santa Clarita, California, a rapidly developing 'hinterland' that is suffering from the effects of too rapid industrialization, changing from a picturesque remnant of California raw beauty into yet another perky little town.

Charlie (Michael Douglas) has been in and out of mental institutions for his wacky behavior. His life as a jazz bassist and entrepreneur has always veered off the map, leaving him alone with his only daughter Miranda who has survived her father's irresponsible life by keeping the old family home (in the midst of a huge housing development) with the money she makes double shifting at the local MacDonalds. When Charlie is released his focus is on discovering the gold left behind by Catholic priests in the mid 1600s, a fact he has researched while hospitalized, on the Internet, and from the journal of one of the priests. Miranda slowly buys into Charlie's madcap scheme and adventure as a gold hunter and the caper results in a bonding between father and daughter that has been teetering on the brink of disaster for years. The manner in which Charlie, Miranda, and an old ex-con friend Pepper (Willis Burks II) go after the treasure provides most of the energy of the film.

Yes, there are bits and pieces of this project that have been done many times before (and often better), but the pleasure of KING OF California lies in the bravura and touching performances by Douglas and Wood. This is a pleasant excursion of a movie, worth an evening's gander. Grady Harp

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29 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
Fine Performances In A Slightly Flawed Film, 7 October 2007

Author: Seamus2829 from United States

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.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Sweet and Funny, 5 March 2008

Author: Brent Trafton from Long Beach, CA

I absolutely loved "King of California." It is sweet and really funny. The characters are flawed, but lovable.

There are basically two characters in the film. Michael Douglas plays Charlie who has just spent 2 years in a mental institution. Apparently the entire time he was there he was in the library researching lost buried treasure from the Spanish missionaries that was left in Ventura, California.

Evan Rachel Wood plays his 16-year-old daughter, Miranda, who had to drop out of school so she could work double shifts at McDonalds to support herself and pay the mortgage to avoid losing the house. She is world weary and bitter at never having a proper childhood and having to be the adult in the relationship.

Eventually Charlie convinces her of the validity of the buried treasure and there is a bonding as they search for the lost treasure that leads them to the depths of a local Costco warehouse.

The performances are great. Michael Douglas is all bug-eyed and crazy. Evan Rachel Wood adds to her "indie cred." Along with "Pretty Persuasion" and "Down in the Valley," she could be the next Parker Posey.

This is one of the best films of 2007. Make sure not to miss it.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Douglas dives for doubloons., 2 July 2008
Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com

Time has a way of passing us by without us even noticing. Like crackpot Charlie's old house, surrounded on all sides by a new housing development, the world in which we used to live disappears little by little until we finally realise we no longer have a place in it. If it bothers us too much, we can timidly accept the inevitable, throw a rope around a convenient light fitting and kick and choke our way out of the world, or we can embrace who we are and the world in which we really belong and bow out with a last hurrah…

Michael Douglas isn't always convincing as a straight actor, but he's quite an accomplished and under-appreciated comic actor who perfectly nails the role of Charlie, eccentric father to 16-year-old Miranda who has been forced to leave school and take a job at MacDonald's in order to keep the crumbling house in which Charlie was born while he spends a period in a mental institution following a failed suicide bid. It would have been easy to play over the top, but Douglas manages to communicate Charlie's seemingly misplaced enthusiasm for a pointless cause and his outlook on life that has him believing, as his despairing daughter points out, that the world is there for his entertainment. If a character like Charlie is well written the viewer can't help but root for him, no more how absurd his quest may seem.

Evan Rachel Wood who, at the age of 20 has more than 20 film credits to her name holds up well against Douglas as his exasperated but loving daughter, which is just as well because this pair pretty much have to carry the film between them. There's something of Drew Barrymore about her, although Wood is a more accomplished actor. While the script doesn't contain many belly laughs, the film is a gently amusing study of what boil down to fairly mundane ingredients: the need to stay true to yourself and your dreams, etc., and is worth 90 minutes of anybody's time.

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21 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
A very slow moving movie featuring superb acting from Douglas., 21 January 2008

Author: Mr Saxon from United Kingdom

"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.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Too silly to be serious,too wistful to be dismissed, 1 April 2008
Author: S.R. Dipaling from Topeka,Kansas,USA

Fifteen-year old Miranda(Evan Rachel Wood,luminescent!!) has had to grow up fast,since her mother left her and her father and said father,Charlie(Michael Douglass,in a word:WOW!) was institutionalized for reasons not entirely made clear but discernible through observation. When Charlie is de-institutionalized,he returns to his daughter with a grand plan to find gold in the hills along the Pacific Coast Highway. She is,in a word,skeptical.

Director and writer Mike Cahill makes a movie that is both at once full of quirk and melancholy,with the daughter as somewhat of a de facto narrator. The quest for finding the treasure,while ridiculous and unquestionably irresponsible,is still almost noble and pure. Wood and Douglass shine very nicely as the estranged,mentally delicate father and daughter duo who haven't stopped loving each other,even if they get each other even less than they did before. A simple story,framed by quirky music(jazz?folk?) and a nearly poetic filming of contemporary California coastline as it contrasts the 16th century maps that Charlie references. Lost in the sea of fall releases from last year,this film is a very pleasant find on the rental shelves.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
McCheesy's take on "King of California", 22 May 2008

Author: TheChumpIsHere from every where

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Some people say that this film is Michael Douglas's best since Wall Street. I have not seen Wall Street so I can't give my say on the matter but I can assure you this: Michael Douglas gives a brilliant, touching performance as Charlie, an institutionalized dad obsessing over buried treasure in the California suburbs. I can boldly say that he's one of the best character actors around and the way he portrayed his character in the movie cannot be easily forgotten. I definitely think he deserved an Oscar on this one.

An outstanding performance by Mr. Douglas I tell you that. But he isn't the only one that made this movie. There's the young actress Evan Rachel Wood who also deserves some credits as the patient and caring daughter to his father, Charlie. The director also deserves some creds. He made an awesome film with the most perfect cast and a touching, yet heartbreaking ending. I suggest you go see it now.

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