King Of California Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
We're All Searching for Something ...
You've got to believe in treasure to find it.
KING OF CALIFORNIA stars Michael Douglas as a fresh-out-of-the-mental institution father, and Evan Rachel Wood as his emancipated teenage daughter, as they venture together on a quest for an ancient Spanish treasure buried beneath their local Costco in this in this darkly funny, exciting and surprisingly hopeful take on the modern family and the American dream.
| Michael Douglas | Charlie |
| Evan Rachel Wood | Miranda |
| Willis Burks II | Pepper |
| Willis Chung | Chinese Refugee |
| Greg Davis Jr. | Joseph |
| Gerald Emerick | Sheriff |
| Victor J. Ho | Chinese Immigrant |
| Branden Weslee Kong | Chinese Refugee #3 |
| Mousa Kraish | Bruce |
| Max Lee | Chinese Refuge#2 |
| Paul Lieber | Doug |
| David J. O'Donnell | Fireman |
| Angel Oquendo | Younger Cop |
| Will Rothhaar | Security Guard |
| Wes Sabo | Mike - security guard |
| Mike Cahill |
7.10 out of 10 (684 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good movie, but it is a DRAMA, not a comedy.
posted on 07 Jun 2009My main reason for commenting is that this movie is a DRAMA, not a comedy. It is a good movie, well acted, and an interesting story...but it is hard to find humor in the relationship between a father who is institutionally crazy and his daughter who has been left to care for herself long before any child should have to.Michael Douglas does a wonderful job playing the crazy man that his character is, and Evan Rachel Wood plays the teenager forced into adulthood too soon very well. The storyline seems a bit thin at times but the actors more than make up for it. Just don't watch this movie looking for laughs. It really should be listed as a drama.
A hilarious and heart-felt movie with a quirky twist
posted on 30 May 2009I just got done watching this movie,and I thought it was really good. It stars Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood. They are both great in it. Michael Douglas plays a guy who has been in a mental institution for several years. When he finally gets out,he re-unites with his daughter(played by Wood),who has had to fend for herself the whole time he was gone,all the while enjoying a peaceful existence without her nutty father around. He tries to convince her that there is ancient Spanish treasure buried underneath a Costco store in the California town that they live in. At first,she just thinks he is crazy and doesn't believe him. Eventually, she ends up believing him and they both lay out a hilarious plan to break into Costco and dig a tunnel into the sewer line to get the treasure. They go through one mishap after another while devising their plan. The plot makes it sound like and Indiana Jones adventure-type of movie,but it's really not. It's more of a make you think...kind of artsy-type of movie with a comedic twist to it. If you haven't seen it yet,you should buy it or rent it. Michael Douglas plays an amazing crazy guy and Evan Rachel Wood is great as the daughter who is struggling to believe her dad and see through his insanity,all the while being taken on a hilarious and heart-moving journey,in this very quirky and imaginative movie. I give this one a 10!
McCheesy's take on "King of California"
posted on 22 May 2009Some 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.
How to approach "King of California"....
posted on 14 May 2009This is a film about the relationship between a father and his daughter. The daughter is extremely responsible, and more mature than dad. Dad is an irresponsible dreamer, and the role reversal is intriguing. Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood nicely compliment a very clever script. If you are the type of viewer who demands complete logic in everything that happens on the screen, you will not enjoy "King of California", because the story requires you to suspend disbelief. If you enjoy a treasure hunt, even one that is chasing smoke, then by all means see this film. It has a nice message,"you've got to believe in treasure to find it" - MERK
One of the best movies of 2007
posted on 18 Apr 2009This is one of the best movies I saw recently. It has a bit of everything to make it an independent movie classic - goof ball characters, craziness and whole deal of introspection. What makes this movie different from many other independent films is a feel-good vibe which recently has been tough to find in American cinema and a quirky, interesting plot line. If there is anything bad I can say about the movie is that it felt too short. Fans of Little Miss Sunshine and Six feet under should be pleased with this little gem of a movie."King of California" actually deserves to be much more popular than it is now.
A little contrived, but really cute fun.
posted on 25 Feb 2009Pretty silly and contrived, but it's a cute little film that's a lot of fun. Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood have great chemistry on screen and it feels like they really are father and daughter. The story is really contrived and that gets pretty bothersome at times, but it's never too overwhelming. It's still easy to relax and enjoy the story; entertaining, for sure. There's also a commentary on consumerism and the lack of ambition in modern society that I thought was really well done. So overall it's a good adventure film with two very good, cute performances. Michael Douglas is at his best since Wonder Boys and I think it's fair to say it's Evan Rachel Wood's second best performance of her career.
Michael Douglas's finest hour
posted on 30 Oct 2008I absolutely adored this film. If there was anything I didn't like about it, it was the narration, which invariably strikes me as somewhat pretentious. That little nuisance was overwhelmed by the charm, compassion, sensitivity, and sense of drama that the film has demonstrated.It is the story of a man with bipolar disorder, and he is reaching out to his daughter. In the search for a historic treasure, he restores her faith in him, though it is tested many times.It is a positive portrayal of a man with a psychiatric disability, without glossing over the difficulty disabilities cause to families. It is charming, humorous at times, and valuable social commentary. I highly recommend it.
A Tired Script but a Platform for the Skillful Acting of Douglas and Wood
posted on 16 Oct 2008KING 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
What Matters More: Gold ...Or Human Connection?
posted on 02 Sep 2008In 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 evening of enjoyable film watching. Although I'd give higher praise to Little Miss Sunshine, King of California deserves its own rays.Michael Douglas got top billing, but it is really Evan Rachel Wood (DOWN IN THE VALLEY) who's the star. We begin and end the film with her, and it is her performance as the teenage Miranda that strikes the strongest chord. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from Douglas' manic performance; he did it very well, and it was nice to see him in a not-so-serious role. But Wood pulls off an incredibly strong spot alongside Douglas, and she did it effortlessly.We have, however, seen this type of set-up before: reversing the roles of responsible adult to that of the child while the irresponsible one is the parent. It's an old Hollywood plot but one that can be used to great advantage if done right. And relative unknown writer/director Mike Cahill (best known for his visual effects work on the CRITTERCAM TV series) does a fine job in giving us a story of touching simplicity and wacky humor.The story starts out with Miranda (Wood) picking up her father Charlie (Douglas) at a mental hospital during his release. Having lived alone for quite some time, Miranda is a self-motivated woman, keeping up the family home on her own. Her mother (Charlie's ex) also ran away from home during one of Charlie's early mental meltdowns and left Miranda to fend for herself.Hoping her father might be getting better, any possibility of normalcy is swept aside when Charlie immediately starts searching for a lost 17th century treasure supposedly buried in their now booming community of Santa Clarita, California. Grudgingly being dragged along during late night excursions (to check star alignments) and heat-of-the-day golf course spots, Miranda slowly comes to accept that this might be a good way to bond with her delusional father. But then the discovery that the lost treasure is hidden beneath the concrete foundation of a newly installed Costco seems to put a halt to their plans; but Charlie has no intentions of letting anything get in his way.Miranda must come to grips with her father's need to connect with something in his life; something that makes his life have meaning. It is Charlie's (and Miranda's) slow realization that this meaning is each other, and this gives the film all of its successful, emotional heft.Whether or not Charlie found the treasure and gave it to Miranda is irrelevant (as we never see the treasure ...even though it is heavily alluded to). Perhaps the gold wasn't there, perhaps it was. Or maybe — just maybe — the gold resides elsewhere, meaning that a connection between father and daughter matters more than any metal.
A very slow moving movie featuring superb acting from Douglas.
posted on 31 Aug 2008"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.
Help with the ending
posted on 29 Aug 2008Great, great movie. I need help with the ending please. Did the underground river that Michael Douglas found the gold in, did that river empty out into the ocean or somewhere? My husband and I have different endings. The light that Michael Douglas see's after he goes back into the underground river where he found the gold. Was the light he see's, is that the light from where the river emptied into somewhere, like the ocean or was the light suppose to be the light you see when you die. I'm hoping that he lived and met up with his daughter later. I loved the movie but need help with the ending. Great movie and thank you. Roxanne
Inspiring and heart warming
posted on 11 Aug 2008This film is about a recently released mental patient who is obsessed with finding hidden treasure mentioned by a 400 year old journal."King of California" is an interesting film. It starts off slow, but it the pace becomes increasingly quick along the way, and at the end the pace is too quick to grasp everything. I cannot not really understand the ending because so much happens within a short amount of time. I like Michael Douglas' portrayal as a psychotic person. He is not over the top, and yet looks and acts crazy enough. His character is likable and goofy. Evan Rachel Wood is also great in the film. This is a good piece of independent cinema. It is inspiring and heart warming I hope it gets more attention than it is having.
Wacky but sweet comedy with a delightful Michael Douglas.
posted on 08 Jul 2008King 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
Interesting, quirky movie, but not for everyone.
posted on 19 May 2008Michael Douglas is Charlie, scruffy-looking, always with a glint in his eye. You never feel like what you are hearing from Charlie is the whole story. While he may not actually lie, he likely is withholding important details.Evan Rachel Wood is good and cute as Charlie's daughter Miranda. She is 16, almost 17, and has been living alone in the house that her grandfather, Charlie's father, built years ago in California. She had to drop out of school so that she could work at McDonalds to pay the bills. Being a minor, all the various agencies thought she was living with one adult or the other, when in fact she was living alone.The story begins as Charlie gets out of a 2-year stay in a mental hospital and joins Miranda. While she shows no animosity towards her dad, she calls him 'Charlie' because he has scarcely been a part of her life. But Charlie had plenty of time to read and reflect during his 2-year hiatus and came out convinced that a few hundred years ago a monk had traveled through their area and had buried a treasure of old Spanish gold doubloons. Charlie was determined to find that treasure.The third important character is Willis Burks II as Charlie's old friend, motorcycle-riding Pepper, in his 70s. Pepper had been a security system expert back i his heyday, right before he went to prison.I enjoyed this quirky adventure movie, but my wife didn't. You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy it. Can Charlie really find long buried treasure? Can he and his daughter re=establish a healthy relationship? SPOILERS: Miranda reluctantly goes along with Charlie but thinks he is crazy. But as they travel the route he predicted, they find evidence, including one old gold doubloon using a metal detector. Then, with a backhoe at a different site, some old pottery. Then a large boulder on a golf course that had been used as a makeshift altar. Eventually they end up in a Costco store, and Charlie calculates that the treasure is under the floor. They find a way to sneak in at night, Charlie digs, finds an underground stream, and with SCUBA gear discovers the treasure. Charlie disappears one last time into the water, Miranda never is sure what happens to him, but she uses a bar-code tag Charlie gave her, buys the appliance, and when she opens it we see a golden glow on her face. Somehow Charlie filled it with gold for her, and he is probably living somewhere else now.
Interesting movie
posted on 15 May 2008I must admit, this movie is far removed from my usual liking of zombies and serial killers. I do not understand why so many people do not like it. One has to ask, after losing her home, then her father, how and why did a 17 year old come up with the money to buy a dishwasher she so desperately wanted for a house she no longer has? Let us go back to a small scene in which her father had given her her own credit card in her name. Why would he do that you suppose? The methodology was simplistic and brilliant at the same time, and was most likely overlooked by many viewers. The heart wrenching scene at the near end of the father tying her to the soda machines and telling her how important she was and what she meant to him was beautiful. Then we see him cautiously running from rack to rack with a small plastic container, empty at first, then heavy and rattling on the way back. Then he dives back into the hole to go after the rest of the gold. This is where most people have trouble. First, the rushing water. Rushing water is moving water and therefore has to empty out somewhere. It just doesn't stop. After realizing he cannot go back the way he came he follows the flow of water and comes to a light ahead but it is too narrow and he cannot cross it with his tanks. He removes them and swims up. Remember the dream of the naked Chinese men? What does his daughter come across on the beach? What empties into the ocean? He lives. The director leaves the outcome up to interpretation, but I must believe that he lives given the small clues and the character's ability to see the outcome.
Pretty Great Film
posted on 27 Apr 2008King of California takes up a thread out of one of the most cherished (and well-worn) themes Hollywood holds dear, namely that a dream--even or especially an insane dream--is what makes life and even death meaningful.However, there is a great deal of brilliance in the execution of this film. For one, the unique depiction of what it means to be young. His 15-year-old daughter, living with neither parent and also lost in the cracks by social services, emancipates herself with a job at McDonalds, making mortgage payments, etc. It is really only the general viability of community in California which makes this seem plausible. She has even purchased an old Volvo on eBay from someone from Pasadena, who happens to be a little old lady. And so, without the complications of a license or insurance, but based on her personal credibility at the wheel as a young lady, this house of cards works for her. She has grown into the available space like a weed and she is rightly proud of her accomplishment.When her Father, recently out of a mental institution, involves her in a hunt for buried treasure, it at first seems as if the action has moved to a wilder landscape in California--until the camera rises over a hill and we observe a Costco. The treasure hunt is taking place in vacant lots. He soon deduces that the treasure is buried directly underneath the Costco.I thought it was a great touch the way the camera scanning the landscape includes arbitrary reflections of ubiquitous corporate icons like "76" and "Chuckie Cheese," which are there even when they are not there. Transience is a great theme of the film, the transience of the landscape and the transience of people. In a society of newcomers, 'acting naturally' is the coin of the realm. While King of California is full of wry humor, it is even more so a poignant drama. It is a story about a young woman struggling painfully with her limitations of knowledge and experience. Her zany father is a constant challenge. It is also a story about an absentee Father determined to set a heroic example for his daughter in the only ways he knows how and at any cost. This is one of the best films at explaining what California means and why Californians love it.
A realistic fairy tale
posted on 30 Jan 2008A fantasy that uses realistic circumstances to tell something like an inspirational fairy tale. The father-daughter relationship and presence of contemporary superstore adds an element of believability to what essentially could have been a fairy tale. So, while the movie requires you to make many leaps of faith to completely appreciate the story, it is in the realistic part of the story where the charm lies. Wonderfully acted and well constructed, the story provides for many tender moments before culminating into an ending that is both fantastic and suggestive. One of those movies that you can watch, enjoy and forget and then, of course, re-watch to discover something new.
Don't waste your time
posted on 28 Jan 2008Bad pretext for a plot. This movie is yet another which badly portrays mental illness, both in the plot and in the acting. It makes light of those who suffer from bipolar disorder, as thought it were merely a personality quirk or eccentricity, rather than a serious brain disorder that can literally kill people or ruin their lives and wreak havoc on their families. This movie doesn't have a single redeeming quality that I can think of. Other than if you're doing a study of how Hollywood perpetuates outdated myths about mental illness and continues to take advantage and ridicule the mentally ill - the last segment of population which apparently it is OK to mock.
Love it, Michael Douglas amazing!
posted on 10 Jan 2008i love this movie, I saw it without ever knowing what is about, without reading synopsis, nothing, just the poster, and Mr Douglas characterization caught my attention.The story is very simple (looking for a treasure) but very "loveable" so is Douglas character, which it's an outstanding work of Douglas.It's a solid and correct script with very nice characters and situations, gags, and arcs.Also it "look" nice, a lot of nice exteriors, and beautiful music.On top of that, very interesting the "pararelism" with the story and the story of Father Thomas, nice work there.Love it.
Very Predictable Movie But Good!
posted on 18 Aug 2009I really enjoyed King of California with Michael Douglas. It was exactly what I thought it was from the trailer and actually was a little disappointed that all the comedic parts are ruined in the trailer. Michael Douglas plays an old hippie who has done too much acid. He goes to a hospital for a couple years and then is released. His daughter enters the plot. She is very cute and the father daughter family part of the plot is nice. I just think he's a funny old stoner like when they creep up to the Costco and Michael Douglas says "I'm Getting Good Vibes Here". And Then the alarm goes off. Now if you have not seen the trailer it wrecks that part in the plot so I hope I didn't ruin the movie for anyone. This is a very simple plot film. It's a treasure hunt movie that is just silly. Very low budget and not as exciting as when Michael Douglas was younger and did col movies like Romancing The Stone circa 1980's.