SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Kateri (played by Angelina LookingGlass, in her acting debut) finds work as a waitress in a small town diner. Local bee keeper and former foster parent Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) winds up at her table and the two immediately reminisce about the good old days together. Wanting to help improve her situation, King invites her to start working for him but, being so used to rejection and a lack of stability, it takes some convincing before she accepts the challenge. Meanwhile, there’s been a rash of honey-related thefts in the Oklahoma area and the authorities have come to King for his help with the investigation. After calling in some trusted people, the clue King thought he could find isn’t there and the team comes up empty. In the not-too-distant future, however, King becomes a victim of theft and Kateri takes it upon herself to do some digging in an attempt to restore King Honey to the glory that was stolen out from under it.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
After a seven year hiatus from the (live action) big screen, McConaughey returns with a vengeance in a ridiculously fun performance that only he could pull off. There are plenty of great actors but it’s still rare to see a project where you come away thinking “there’s nobody else who could’ve played that role better.” His vocal rhythm and cadence only compliment his presence in this film built around music.
And then there’s LookingGlass.
What a frickin’ debut! As we talked about on the pod, she doesn’t have much to work with in the first hour, which leads the audience to wonder why she’s there. But then the turn arrives and it becomes very apparent why she got second billing. Her ability to portray timidness, reluctance and a lack of confidence early on only to evolve into a leader right before our eyes is no easy feat, let alone for somebody making their acting debut.
In addition, writer/director Andrew Patterson shows serious creative flare right from the opening scene where freeze frames are synced to the beat of the music the band is playing on screen. He also throws in clear act changes, witty writing and clever symbolism which only elevate the final product.
All that said, Patterson takes multiple swings here. And, while his batting average is all-star level, he hardly bats 1.000. The problem is it’s all subjective. He specifically wanted to bring the audience through varying emotions, not just play it safe with a down-the-middle example of any one genre. THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING is a comedy, it’s a crime thriller, it’s a murder mystery, it’s a drama and it’s a coming-of-age film, all by intentional design. That lack of focus won’t sit well with some but will be enjoyed by most.
McConaughey should be applauded for his strong return, LookingGlass should be applauded for bursting onto the scene with an unforgettable performance and Patterson should be applauded for sticking to his vision. Other than the 130-minute runtime — which is far too long — THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING is a fun, hilarious and diverse night out at the theater.
JKG SCORE: 7.0 out of 10
FULL REVIEW
To watch our full review (with spoilers), here’s our THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING episode of the pod:
Untitled Film Project 