Credits Director : Mike Cahill Starring : Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood Our Score :

By Clint Morris

I love Michael Douglas. I think he’s a terrific actor. Even when he’s playing an out-and-out asshole – like, for instance, Gordon Gecko – he’s still somehow likable. What’s great about Douglas is that even if he’s headlining a film that isn’t as solid as the one before – “Disclosure” comes to mind; “The In-Laws” too – you still walk away pleased as punch that you paid money to see it - because Douglas was, once again, acting his ass off in the movie. He never phones a performance in. He never lets his audience down. He only does movies he believes are worthwhile.

You can understand why Douglas chose to do “King of California” – it’s unlike anything he’s done before. In it, he plays a scruffy (he’s got a shaggy beard for starters) mental patient released back into the world only to convince his 16-year-old daughter (the brilliant Evan Rachel Wood ---- what the hell is she doing with Marilyn Manson?!) to help him find the ‘buried treasure’ that apparently lies six-feet under the local ‘cost co’ store.

Douglas plays the character of the loony treasure-hunter Charlie with zest, passion, comedy and, well, hyperactivity – its Jack Colton post-drugs, if you will. Douglas wouldn’t have done the film for the sheer thrill of playing a crazy-man though, he would’ve done it for the storyline – which, though a big emphasis is on the comical exploits of the gold-digger and his daughter, is a love story between a father and his daughter. Douglas’s Charlie might seem a little odd, and most definitely is, but at the end of the day, his love for his daughter is strong… and he’ll do anything for her – even jump inside a 6-foot hole for the treasure that’ll undoubtedly set her up for life.

“The King of California” is an easily-entertaining independent film that features two bravura performances, a sweet storyline and enough McDonald’s signage to fill a Happy Meal container. Check it out.

Extras include a crew commentary; a making-of; outtakes (Douglas looks like he has a great sense of humour); and trailers.