Deep within the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, charismatic and musically gifted Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) herds a bluegrass-playing band of misfits while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. When Amziah’s estranged foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) unexpectedly returns, Amziah leaps at the possibility to renew the connection and create a family business. But the honey game is ruthless, and Amziah’s rivals threaten to destroy everything he has built.
McConaughey saunters and charms as the mandolin strumming Amziah King and, much in the vein of his standout scene in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, possibly composing his own theme song in the process. Backed both on and off the screen by musicians from the Avett Brothers and Shovels and Rope, THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING acknowledges its musicians much in the same way as its beekeepers and their processes. Directed by Andrew Patterson (THE VAST OF NIGHT).
“Patterson’s latest film sees him painting on a broader canvas with such boundless care and unwavering confidence that it becomes beautiful to witness him spreading his wings as fully as he does here…. It’s part loving musical, part delicate dramedy, part scrappy underdog tale, and all sharply resonant in a way that sneaks up on you while remaining entertaining as all hell to watch.” —Chase Hutchinson, The Playlist “McConaughey not only delivers his best performance in over a decade but one that could very easily put him back into the Oscar race. Simply put, McConaughey's charisma has never radiated more than it does here…. LookingGlass' work here will make her a household name. She has a magnetism that draws your attention to her in every single scene that she's in. She's a rare, one-of-a-kind talent, and her performance is one you'll be thinking about all year long.” —Nate Richard, Collider “Like the church potluck to which Amziah King introduces his one-time foster daughter Kateri, THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING is a gleeful mashup of genres and tones blending bluegrass music, comedy, revenge, and heist-thriller elements into a tasty homestyle buffet full of eccentric characters and thick Southern accents.” —John Fink, Film Stage
