nan | 楠木

Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood star in this likable but flawed comedy-drama about the relationship between an eccentric father and his 16 year-old daughter. As another film featuring a dysfunctional family (these films are a dime a dozen, it seems, with Evan Rachel Wood herself starring in the 2006 flawed effort Running With Scissors), King of California doesn’t break new ground and instead meanders its way through its 93 minute running length, however the dynamic between the two leads are so strong that the film is still an enjoyable experience.

Michael Douglas is Charlie, a man who has just got out of a mental institution. He comes back to live his his daughter Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood), who has given up school for work to make ends meet. Charlie, who has been unstable most of his life it seems, has a new obsession – he believes there is Spanish gold to be found in their neighborhood. This sets the context for most of the film, in which father and daughter go about doing a bunch of wacky things.

Those events, while interesting, soon get repetitive, and that is the major flaw of the film. The plot is nonsensical, and while that’s acceptable for a comedy, I felt that the film swung between playing serious and fun, and the overall mix was much left to be desired. Maybe it’s just my personal preference; but I felt that the story didn’t flow as well as it could have.

Despite this major flaw, the film still scores due to its likable characters. It’s evident Douglas is having so much fun with his role, and he pulls off an effortless yet spot-on performance. Wood, on the other hand, has the instantly likable role of the unfortunate daughter who has to live with such a dad, and she is charmingly on top of it from the start.

In the end, the film does injustice to its two leads who give all-round splendid performances, but at least it makes for a pleasant one and a half hours which laughter is guaranteed.

6/10