Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

King of California Blu-ray Movie Review

This unexpected and heartwarming tale is a very nice release from First Look.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 12, 2008

Parents have this advantage over us. We want to believe in them. And when we don’t believe in them, we still just want to be with them.

I love watching a movie starring a big time actor and forgetting that said big time actor is even in the film by the end. That's not only the mark of a good film, but of a great actor, too. That's what happened during the ninety or so minutes of King of California. Even though Michael Douglas is only halfway noticeable as Michael Douglas underneath the scraggly hair, beard, and generally unkempt look he wears in this film, his raspy voice, charisma, and style certainly shine through in the opening minutes. By the end of the picture, however, he's no longer Michael Douglas. Instead, for those brief ninety minutes, he's completely transformed himself into the character of Charlie, a man on a mission only a fool could hope to accomplish, so it's a good thing Charlie's straight out of a mental institution.

Officer, I swear, I didn't kill HD DVD!

Good Old Charlie (Michael Douglas, Wall Street), fresh out of the asylum, moves back into his house with his daughter, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood, Across the Universe). Miranda has been working double shifts at McDonalds just to make ends meet during the past two years, struggling to get by while her father lived in the asylum. She's saved enough to buy a decrepit station wagon, and when Charlie returns home, encourages him to find employment to help them along. Despite having spent two years in a mental hospital, Charlie almost immediately shows signs of extremely odd behavior. He's taken to looking for exact spots throughout the city with a GPS device and using a metal detector to aid him in his quest for--something. Soon enough, Miranda discovers what he's up to. Whilst in the hospital, Charlie learned of Spanish gold that may be buried somewhere underneath the city, and his only clue is an old journal circa 1624, penned by a Father Torres who accompanied a Spanish expedition in the area. After following the clues, finding an old coin and broken pieces of pottery, the map leads them smack-dab in the center of consumerism, the local Costco, underneath a pallet of Radio Flyer wagons to be exact. Despite this "setback," Charlie trudges onward, determined to dig up the treasure, even if it means setting up his daughter as an employee at the store to gain access to the facility after hours.

Certainly, the irony of having the treasure buried underneath a Costco, not to mention having to navigate a sewer to ultimately reach it--is not lost on the viewer. It’s no secret that the theme of the movie is that real treasure doesn’t reside on the shelves of uninspired, cookie cutter warehouses, no matter how much we value their wares on the surface. Pallets of Radio Flyer wagons might be nice, not to mention the entirety of the “gold mine” that “has everything” that superstores offer shoppers, but in the end they are just objects, things that offer temporary happiness or relief but fail to deliver that most basic of human desire--to be with the ones you love, no matter how awkward, crazy, or out of touch. While Charlie almost literally goes out of his mind to find exactly where the gold might be in the store, we see Miranda repeatedly longing after a simple dishwasher. She’s hand-washed dishes her entire life, but that hand-washing still means something to her--memories of family, notably her father in his glory days, that no machine could ever duplicate. In the quest for the Spanish gold, Charlie and his daughter rediscover what really matters in life--their love and friendship and the importance of family above all else. When Charlie sells Miranda’s car to pay off the rent on a backhoe, she’s initially furious, but her anger over losing a thing, and not even a quality thing at that, soon subsides as she finds herself knee deep in the world in which her father resides, a world in which only a nut could find true happiness. Well, a nut and his daughter.

King of California Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike The Amateurs, another recent release from First Look, King of California's 1080p, 1.85:1 image looks superb. The first thing I noticed was the great black levels on display. Colors are also rich and vibrant. The film offers many scenes bathed in bright, natural sunlight, and the result is a pleasant, never overbearing, natural look and feel. Darker scenes, notably those taking place inside locales lit only by flashlights and other extremely low light sources, look nearly flawless without relying on artificial brightness for increased detail. In fact, this transfers sports an excellent level of shadow detail. There is good depth to the image, not completely three-dimensional but better than an awful lot of other transfers I've rated over the last several months. There are a few barely noticeable speckles on the print in places, but it's in very good condition overall. The quality and look of this film reminded me of Employee of the Month and not just because of the similar locales. Both have a pleasant, film-like look that recalls some deep memory of the way my brain thinks movies should look in the theater, and it's very nice to have this look reproduced here. Bravo, First Look. I hope we can expect more transfers like King of California from you in the future.

King of California Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

King of California does not offer viewers the option of a lossless or uncompressed soundtrack. While the source material doesn't cry out for one, that doesn't mean there wouldn't have been a discernible upgrade from the lossy DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks offered up instead. King of California is a primarily dialogue driven film, and it is reproduced with fine clarity and definition through the center channel. The film also offers a delightful score that is pleasing to the ear and is spread across the front soundstage with a slight bleed over into the rears to provide listeners with a nice, wholesome, and believable experience. There are a few moments where the track showcases more than dialogue and soft music, such as a bulldozer scene in chapter four and some rock music that coincides with the use of a jackhammer in chapter eight, but such "heavier" uses of sound are few and far between. Besides, this is the kind of movie you watch for the story, not for an overly rambunctious use of sound. The best that can be said about this soundtrack is that it allows for full enjoyment of the film, never distracting or adding too much punch and charisma to what should be an understated mix that plays second fiddle to the story on-screen. In that sense, this is a completely acceptable soundtrack that may have fared slightly better with a lossless option.

King of California Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

First Look has provided a short but sweet serving of extras for this release. Leading things off is a commentary track with writer/director Mike Cahill, cinematographer Jim Whitaker, production designer Dan Bishop, and first assistant director Richard L. Fox. The crew discuss changes made to the script based solely on cost and the benefits to the final product because of the changes. They also discuss filming locations, difficulties in creating some of the sets, some costume choices that they would like to change, and some tweaks made to the image in post-production. Despite the number of participants, there is a bit of dead air, but the track is good enough to make up for this shortcoming. This is a recommended listen for fans of the film.

The Making of 'King of California' (480p, 9:59) showcases Michael Douglas recounting his reaction to the script and the story and why he wanted to appear in it. He also discusses his character's motivations and the relation to Don Quixote. Evan Rachel Wood shares much of the same information. There is some good information in here, but fans of the film may be left wanting a bit more. Finally, a set of outtakes (480p, 4:43), the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:23), and some previews for films also available from First Look on DVD round out the supplements.

King of California Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

King of California is a fun and intriguing little picture that stars one of Hollywood's biggest names in a role in which he's completely convincing. He turns in one of his finest performances as a family man who uses the search for earthly treasures to ultimately discover an even more valuable commodity--the love of his daughter. The film is slower in pace than most, but the clever screenplay, excellent acting and direction, pleasing score, and infinitely interesting subject material make King of California one of the more original and pleasant films in recent years. First Look Studios has released this film on Blu-ray as a solid package. The transfer is excellent and the audio mixes are sufficient. The supplements are a bit thin in number but rather high in quality. Overall, this is a film that might just surprise most viewers with the quality of the film from top to bottom despite its status as an independent picture. King of California has a lot of positives going for it, including quite a bit of heart. Recommended.