The film tells the story of Charlie (Michael Douglas) who has just been released from the mental hospital into the care of his more than resourceful daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). Without wasting a second, Charlie begins his search for what he believes to be a lost treasure hidden somewhere near their California home. The fact that he has recently been released from the hospital of course does not help his case.
Over the course of the film, we follow the possibly insane Charlie through the landscape of California’s sprawling natural beauty and the ever growing franchises that take up residence on top of it. What must have been breathtaking on the big screen, becomes pure beauty through the clarity of DVD.
To truly enjoy the film is to embrace the sheer madness of it. Charlie honestly believes that Spanish treasure is buried beneath his local Costco. His daughter tries her hardest to bring a small dose of reality to his fantasy, but to do so would tear it all apart. The same goes for the DVD, while the special features (like the commentary) throw insight into what the director and writers were thinking, it does take away from the fantasy more than a little.
It should be noted that those who are watching the film for the first time, should avoid any of the special features until after they have seen the movie. This is a fun film filled with many quirks and surprises. Watching the making of or any of the special features will just ruin many great lines before you can appreciate them.
The one pointless feature on the DVD is the outtakes. Outtakes belong on sophomoric teen comedies where there are many chances for some really good laughs. All the viewer gets here is about 10 minutes of mildly funny moments where the cast trips or misses a line. Really not worth the time of the viewer or the filmmakers to include these in the DVD.
Of all the films released in 2007, this one was by far the most overlooked. It barely lasted a month in theaters and even that was not in wide release. It is this reviewers hope that King of California becomes more of a hit on the small screen then it was on the big one. In a time when many independent films are given the opportunity for wide release it is amazing that this one did not. This film deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, if only for the sheer delight that comes with watching it. This is one of the few movies that will be as much fun to watch the fifth time as it was the first.
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