King of California

Theatrical Release Date: 2007 09 14 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 687797117717

Studio: First Look Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Adult Situations, Adult Language, Drug Content]

Summary: Michael Douglas stars as a treasure-hunting eccentric in this Alexander Payne-produced comedy from director Michael Cahill. Recently released from a mental institution and reunited with his teenage daughter, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood), Charlie (Douglas) decides there's century's old gold buried near their lower-middle-class neighborhood, and sets out on an obsessive quest to find it. Along the way, the estranged parent and child rekindle a long-lost bond with each other. Featuring a score by David Robbins, King of California screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival

Features: Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 HD audio
DTS
"The Making of" King of California
Outtakes
Commentary audio with writer/director Mike Cahill & his production team

King of California

Format: High Definition

Release Date: 01/29/2008

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Derek Armstrong

Michael Douglas with a woolly beard and a twinkle of madness, outfitted in scuba gear and ready to drill into the concrete floor of a Costco? This could have been the iconic image from a movie a lot quirkier and more enjoyable than King of California ends up being. Instead, the film is suffused by a forlorn quality that shouldn't have been present quite to this degree. Not that mental instability must be the stuff of comedy, nor that there isn't a valuable film to be made about teenagers forced to occupy the adult role in their dysfunctional families. But writer-director Mike Cahill's movie wears the guise of a thoughtful comedy, so when the levity takes a backseat to the purposely unhappy drudgery of a strip-mall California, it kills the tendency to laugh. In fact, many of this film's mistakes are opposite those usually made -- instead of trying too hard to be funny, it doesn't try hard enough; instead of over-stuffing the story with characters, it feels deserted. Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood (at her most depressive) need some extra bodies to spice up the narrative, but the most they're given to work with is Charlie's old jazz buddy (Willis Burks II), who enters the story just long enough to be moronically unhelpful during the climax. (And let's try to forget the brief appearance of a pair of swingers, who bring a tonal shift as abrupt as it is temporary). Cahill mourns a lost California where middle-class homeowners had casually scenic views, where ends somehow met even in the most bohemian of circumstances. Douglas plays those circumstances to a T. But Cahill can't make that mourning either whimsical or contagious, and that's where King of California (produced by Alexander Payne) splits ways with Sideways (written and directed by Payne). ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Cast and Crew: Boaz Davidson  Executive Producer 
Avi Lerner  Producer 
Michael London  Producer 
Alexander Payne  Producer 
David Robbins  Composer (Music Score) 
John Thompson  Executive Producer 
Danny Dimbort  Executive Producer 
Trevor Short  Executive Producer 
George Furla  Executive Producer 
Randall Emmett  Producer 
Elisa Salinas  Executive Producer 
Vance J. Owen  Executive Producer 
Jan Johnson  Executive Producer 
Nicholas Childs  Producer 
Mike Cahill  Director 
Mike Cahill  Screenwriter 
Michael Douglas  Actor 
Evan Rachel Wood  Actor 
Willis Burks II  Actor 
Laura Kachergus  Actor 
Paul Lieber  Actor 
Kathleen Wilhoite  Actor 
Anne Nathan  Actor 
Arthur Santiago  Actor 
Ashley Greene  Actor 
Ian Hopps  Actor 
Anna Khaja  Actor 
Will Rothhaar  Actor 
Annie O'Donnell  Actor 
Greg Davis, Jr.  Actor 
Jeanie Hackett  Actor 
Mousa Kraish  Actor 
Max Grodenchik  Actor 
Gerald Emerick  Actor 
David O'Donnell  Actor 
Chic Daniel  Actor 
Angel Oquendo  Actor 
Jason Auer  Actor 
Ho-Kwan Tse  Actor 
Allisyn Ashley Arm  Actor 
Gary Paul  Actor 

Country: USA