Download King of California movie

King of California is a 2007 film directed by Mike Cahill, his debut as a screenwriter and director. The film premiered January 24, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival[1] and opened in limited release in North American on September 14, 2007. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood and Michael Douglas.

At the age of 16, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) has been abandoned by her mother, and has dropped out of school. She is supporting herself as an employee at McDonald's while her father, Charlie (Michael Douglas), resides in a mental institution.

When Charlie is released and sent back to their home, Miranda finds the relatively peaceful existence she's built for herself completely disrupted. Charlie has become obsessed with the notion that the long-lost treasure of Spanish explorer Father Juan Florismarte Torres is buried somewhere near their suburban California house. Armed with a metal detector and a stack of treasure-hunting books, Charlie soon finds reason to believe that the gold resides underneath the local Costco, and encourages Miranda to get a job there so that they can plan a way to excavate after hours.

Initially skeptical, Miranda soon finds herself joining in Charlie's questionable antics in an effort to give him one last shot at accomplishing his dreams.

Cast

• Michael Douglas - Charlie
• Evan Rachel Wood - Miranda
• Willis Burks II - Pepper
• Laura Kachergus - Rita
• Paul Lieber - Doug
• Greg Davis Jr. - Joseph
• Angel Oquendo - Younger Cop
• Allisyn Ashley Arm - Young Miranda

Critical reception

As of January 6, 2008 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 64 percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 58 reviews.[2] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 63 out of 100, based on 22 reviews.[3]

DVD Release

King of California was released on DVD for in the U.K. in early June 2008.

39 Comments »

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Good movie, but it is a DRAMA, not a comedy.

My 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.

Greg L from Minneapolis, MN, United States - 2 May 2009

Michael Douglas's finest hour

I 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.

Irwin Allen Chomsky from United States - 27 April 2009

Fun and Entertaining

ReelTime Review. Movie starts. Michael Douglas is in his wacky look
mode. Wild long hair and beard. Evan Rachel Wood is working at
McDonald's and narrating. It appears her father (Charlie-Sir Mike) is
being released from a mental institution and picked up by Wood's
character (Miranda). He's talking about naked Chinese guys coming on
shore. Probably not all there. They go back to their family house, no
mother or wife, that apparently Miranda has kept alive while he was
away. I guess he's supposed to be bipolar. Charlie used to a be a minor
jazz performer so he gets a visit from an old partner. Miranda goes to
work, and Charlie hangs out with his buddy. She's only 15 and drives.
She's been fooling everybody with not requiring a guardian too. Okay,
we just found out the mom left, and is out of the picture. Miranda even
quit high school to work and pay bills. We still don't know what the
thrust of the plot is yet, and we're 12 1/2 minutes in. Charlie tells
her he needs a ride for a job interview which is completely bogus. Now
they are flashing back to Charlie hanging himself and Miranda saves
him. Almost a little funny the way it's played. They have eerie, almost
Addams family music playing in the background at times when Charlie is
taking Miranda all over the place searching for who knows what. Miranda
is noticeably frustrated by Charlie's antics. He still hasn't told her
what he's up to, and we're nearly 18 minutes in. Now he's using a metal
detector in a field looking for something. Lots of funny verbal
intercourse between them. Eureka, he's found a coin supposedly from the
17th century. The full plot is finally revealed at 21 min. in. He's
been researching an old priest's life (movie is set in California of
course), and apparently he thinks this man has buried a treasure
somewhere based on the Father's journals. Now, we're on a hunt! This
movie is amusing. Michael Douglas is usually really good, and is very
funny here.We're at the 25 min. mark, and the search has gotten pretty serious. He
using both the historical record and professional level tools like
surveying scopes and an actual earth mover! Charlie is like a little
child, and Miranda the doting, pragmatic mother. It's a role reversal
gig. I don't know what to make out of the mental problem issue. I guess
you're not supposed to take it too seriously here. They're making him
clever, eccentric, and comical here. In real life, it's not so funny. I
guess the Miranda role is pulling us toward that in her narration and
dialog. Father Torres is the cat's name that buried the treasure
supposedly. We're not really sure if any of this is real, and not some
delusional escapade so far. I guess we won't find that out until the
end. They are literally going all over digging up ground on private
property looking for clues. It reminds you of a smaller version of that
Nick Cage gig looking for treasure. This is way more whimsical and and
simple. Now we're 36 min., and now surveying in Costco. Pretty funny
in-store antics.I am going to stop now. You can make up your mind if you want to find
out what happens. Enjoy! PS. Good music and look/feel of CA.

gotohoward from United States - 7 April 2009

King Evan

King of California tells the tale of a recently released psychiatric
patient who believes that there is treasure buried under suburban
California. This film is a quirky alternative to those mega-popular indie flicks
being fired at us left right and centre every Oscar season. It manages
to incorporate some original (albeit far-fetched) ideas with genuine
emotion - a realistic approach to an unconventional story.Although this was marketed as a 'Michael Douglas movie', the film
belongs largely to Evan Rachel Wood. Her performance as Miranda, the
older-than-her-years 16 year old who has to deal with work, bills and
evading social services, is pitch perfect. You sympathise with her as
she attempts to keep her father stable by indulging in his oddities.However, Douglas is due praise. His performance as the mentally
unstable father is one that truly conveys the frustration of his
condition - both to himself and Miranda. The film sustains the mystery,
as the audience sees through Miranda's eyes rather than Charlies. Why
is he doing this? Is he lying? Will he ever stop searching? The yellow tones of the sand and the wide open landscapes contrast with
the corporate logos of McDonald's and Wal-Mart, creating an image of
constant change in the area and suggest that the old fashioned ideals
and natural environment of the area have been eroded by a capitalist
mentality. Overall, I give this film 8 out of 10.See this if you liked: Down in the Valley Little Miss Sunshine

Scarlet McNally from London, England - 3 February 2009

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