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King of California
 
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King of California (2007)

Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood Director: Mike Cahill (VI) Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Format: DVD
3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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King of California + The Amateurs + The Contract
Total List Price: $59.94
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  • This item: King of California DVD ~ Michael Douglas

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  • The Amateurs DVD ~ Jeff Bridges

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  • The Contract DVD ~ Morgan Freeman; John Cusack; Alice Krige; Bill Smitrovich; Megan Dodds; Jamie Anderson

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Product Details

  • Actors: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Will Rothhaar, Paul Lieber, Tarri Markell
  • Directors: Mike Cahill (VI)
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English, Spanish
  • Subtitles: Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Studio: First Look Pictures
  • DVD Release Date: January 29, 2008
  • Run Time: 93 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000WCN8PA
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,862 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Michael Douglas is such a great dramatic actor (not to mention villain) that it's worth remembering what a strong comedic performer he can be (War of the Roses, Romancing the Stone). In King of California, he digs into his offbeat lighter role with relish and vigor. Yet he softens the scene-chewing with appropriate poignancy, given that he's playing a mentally ill deadbeat who's essentially left his daughter to raise herself--and him. Douglas plays Charlie, a troubled yet good-humored musician who's just been released from institutional care. Evan Rachel Wood is his wise-beyond-her-years daughter, Miranda, who pays the bills, keeps house, and even buys a car as an unlicensed 15-year-old. The film examines the bond between troubled dad and grounded teen, and it's to both actors' credit that the slight (and slightly incredulous) plot doesn't diminish the impact of their love or anguish.

Charlie's convinced a buried Spanish treasure lies beneath the local Costco (one of many companies given costar billing; others include McDonald's, Petco, Target, and Chuck E. Cheese). The plot follows Charlie's single-minded, impossible-dream journey, while the world-weary Miranda is resigned to following ("Time to get on that old bipolar pony and ride," she mutters). But along the way, dad and daughter find true ways to reconnect, and therein lies the true majesty of King of California --A.T. Hurley

Product Description
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.


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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
115 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Tired Script but a Platform for the Skillful Acting of Douglas and Wood, February 1, 2008
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
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, February 08
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A really fun movie, November 15, 2007
By Mark Gray (Holland, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
You can read the synapses above and I can't do any better so I'll just give my opinion.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. The wacky-father straight-laced daughter interactions are what make it so fun. I also loved Michael Douglas' character in this film. His character reminds me a lot of a castaway (both in appearance and in his quirky mannerisms). There are tinges of other movie genres in this as well but the director puts the whole project together in a good way that gives is a fresh twist and feeling.

This is a great movie for a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn and you'll probably tell your friends about it too (I did).
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Head Of Lettuce Pray For The State Of Mind, California, April 4, 2008
(First of all, full disclosure. I wanted to like this movie because the subject matter is close to my heart. I am Manic Depressive; indeed I even wrote a memoir about it, Invisible Driving, which is available right here on Amazon. And I have a daughter who struggled to deal with the havoc my manic episodes caused. So it's possible I'm being unduly critical simply because I expected more.)

Nice to see Michael Douglas playing a character that makes less than $1,000,000 a year. His performance is actually very good, although he never plays more than one note throughout the entire movie. He certainly looks deranged, and has learned how to convincingly show the whites of his eyes. With nasty beard and ridiculous clothes he has that, "I sleep in a culvert" look down pat.

Evan Rachel Wood is stellar as his daughter Miranda, a girl who has had to become an adult too quickly. Abandoned by mother, virtually abandoned by her father, Miranda has brilliantly learned how to work the system and hang onto the house while her dad cools his heels in the cracker factory. It's an interesting dynamic, the inappropriately mature teenager and the mentally ill, irresponsible parent, but the film never delivers on its potential.

The failure of King of California is due entirely to writer and first time director Mike Cahill who seems completely lost at all times. He doesn't know if he wants to be serious about mental illness or portray it as cute and quirky - he flips between showing Miranda walking in on a botched suicide attempt - dark - and dad yucking it up with power tools in Cosco - zany! More ludicrous still is the rather magical transformation of Miranda from rightfully bitter and angry to cheerfully sharing daddy's idiotic quest. Cahill is so adrift in his tiny tale that even he does not know if there is any gold at the end of Charlie's rainbow.

There isn't, literal or metaphorical.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A Few Laughs...
... and an adroit portrayal of a nut-case California libertarian dysfunctional father with a heart (or possibly a whole chest) of gold. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Giordano Bruno

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome movie, decent picture.
Movie is great, picture quality I'd give a 4, a few dark scenes with a good amount of grain.
Published 2 months ago by Jeremy A. Hunter

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy
Charlie Sheen certainly shows just exactly what the imagination can do to lead us on a merry chase after the impossible dream. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard C. Idoux

3.0 out of 5 stars King of California - Blu-ray Info
Version: U.S.A / First Look Pictures / Region A, B, C
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
VC-1 BD-25 / AACS / Advanced Profile 3
Running time: 1:33:19
Movie size: 13,25... Read more
Published 5 months ago by LGANS316

4.0 out of 5 stars Where did this move hide?
Had not heard of this movie before and was delighted to have "discovered" it. Great entertainment.
Published 6 months ago by Gizmo

4.0 out of 5 stars What Matters More: Gold ...Or Human Connection?
In the vein of Little Miss Sunshine in which we have a few high-caliber actors playing roles in a small budget film, KING OF CALIFORNIA is funny and quirky enough to make for an... Read more
Published 7 months ago by B. Merritt

5.0 out of 5 stars great movie!
worth the money. dts track not so special. but a great feel good movie with quirky characters and performances!
Published 8 months ago by mong

5.0 out of 5 stars Pass the Quirk Please
An enjoyable goofy story involving an independent daughters love and support for her crazy like a fox, cynical father, Michael Douglas. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Michael Cavenaugh

5.0 out of 5 stars A search for gold
Michael Douglas (Charlie) and Evan Rachel Wood (Miranda) both give sterling performances in this quirky, funny and heart warming tale of a schizophrenic father (Douglas). Read more
Published 10 months ago by D. Johnson

4.0 out of 5 stars how to roll a Costco....
....and find an old dream underneath waiting to resurface.

This bittersweet film about a madman and his long-suffering daughter takes place against the backdrop of... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Craig Chalquist, PhD, author o...

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