“Who knew something as wholesome, healthy and sweet as honey could be the reason for so much bitterness…“
Con Nats
4 honey jars
The Rivals of Amziah King
You have to love the way Oklahoma folk can talk. They have a rhythm and syntax that makes you smile. And when it’s delivered by a charismatic character like Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) you know good times and comedy will follow.
Amziah is charismatic musician who loves to play music at any time with friends, and help out whoever, whenever, he can. He can talk faster than you can listen and his talk is golden and as sweet as the honey he manufactures.
When he crosses paths with a girl he had fostered, Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) he takes her onboard and teaches her the bee business he hopes she will take over. All is happy until one morning they find all their hives have been stolen and Amziah’s health takes a turn. Kateri is left inheriting a farm laden with debt and no bees and she is determined to find the thieves and avenge Amziah.
This story goes from comedy to drama to thriller. It starts with an Indian flunkie helper Komar (Tony Revolori) accidentally scalping himself, a slapstick scene involving removing a beehive from a school, to a theft and sudden tragedy. Kateri then becomes the focus of the revenge tale with dark humour.
Director Andrew Patterson has imposed his own style using stop frames and jump cuts. Shot in a grainy format, some of the framing is excellent but some edits are clunky. He does like to focus on his actors with close-ups, and he’s at his best is bringing out the heart in these characters.
The acting is whole hearted. Matthew McConaughey feels like he’s living his best life on screen rather than acting. Angelina LookingGlass (what a fantastic name! You’ll be seeing more of her) is luminous as his foster daughter. She is a natural, playing Kateri with a wide eyed innocence that embraces you, although it made her turning nasty less believable, but the script gives her outs from her moral conundrum. Jake Horowitz as Remmick and Scott Shepherd as the mumbling Jimmy are hilarious side kicks, while Kurt Russel is along for the ride as the archetypal bad guy, Wenyon Amos Stone. Every character, no matter how minor, has good lines and a strong presence in this story.
This is a fun, rollicking film full of surprises, dark twists and a big fun heart. It’s just as much about community as it is about the honey making industry. Who knew something as wholesome, healthy and sweet as honey could be the reason for so much bitterness, but these characters and this story leave a nice taste. Pleasant surprises is what this film is about.
4 Honey Jars
Con Nats, On The Screen
