King of California
Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Will Burks II
Director: Michael Cahill
The film: The warning sign from the studio is right there on the cover. 'From the filmmakers of Sideways' we are told - and that means the powers that be suspect the film will be a dud.
Playing the audience for the fools we mostly are, they think we can be hoodwinked into watching the film simply because they have linked it to one that's much loved and Oscar-nominated. Not a great confidence boost for the people-pulling power Michael Douglas has these days and a trick that actually sells King of California short.
Sure, like Sideways the film leans a lot on the quirkiness of suburban life. But King of California is very much its own, unique being. It's at times both weird and touching and it leaves its mark not - like Sideways - because of any vastly superior script, but because of the enthusiasm of the main actors.
Douglas' acting career has seen better days for sure but here - as a father reunited with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) after being released from a mental institution - he's let off the leash. And you can see the sparkle in his eye as he takes on something outside the mainstream.
