Standing ovations are rare at SXSW, but the Matthew McConaughey starring western/musical/drama The Rivals of Amziah King was far more than all right, all right, all right, earning one from the Paramount Theatre crowd in Austin on Monday.
On a sleepy night when all the big studio movies already have played, from out of the blue comes this heartwarming, unconventional feature from filmmaker Andrew Patterson. SXSW launched an Oscar Best Picture winner three years ago in A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, and it could have another one on their hands if a buyer gets off their butt and takes this WME sales title. There’s been some deliberation and waiting by buyers when it comes to acquiring movies. No need to wait on this one, studios or streamers: This played in the heartland to rolling laughs, tears and cheers tonight.
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Not only is the pic another groundbreaking role for McConaughey but also in new discovery Angelina LookingGlass who plays the former’s foster daughter in the film; she takes over her his beehive business with a vengeance.
McConaughey came out to introduce the film, saying: “It’s been six years since I did a film or was onscreen? … Why did I come to this film, what was it? Not often does something cross my desk where I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s an original language! I’ve never heard that before, but I know those people. Oh, that’s an original, time, place and space. Oh, there’s some real humor.’
“There’s some real innocence and a whole lot of heart and momentous amount of spirit,” he continued. “In a place that has do with a carny in a Creedence-like revival band that plays live shows in Dairy Queen parking lots who’s a beekeeper, it’s a love story between a foster parent and a foster child, love story of a whole bunch of misfits and underdogs that come together, a bunch of harelips, knee-scraping people who’ll give the shirt off their back. Those are the reasons why I did it. It’s also some kind of musical!”
Per our sources, Rivals of Amziah King is the third U.S. premiere at SXSW for Texas native McConaughey after Lone Star in 1996 and 2019’s Beach Bum. (McConaughey believed it was his fourth world premiere at the fest, but Killer Joe in 2011 world premiered at Venice and then went on to play SXSW).
Here’s the blurb for the pic: Deep within the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, charismatic and musically gifted Amziah King herds a bluegrass-playing band of misfits while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. When Amziah’s estranged foster daughter unexpectedly returns, Amziah leaps at the possibility to renew connection and create a family business. But the honey game is ruthless, and Amziah’s rivals threaten to destroy everything he has built.
Kurt Russell, Jake Horowitz, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Owen Teague, Bruce Davis and Cole Sprouse also star.
Producers are David Heyman, Teddy Schwarzman, Jeffrey Clifford, Michael Heimler, James Montague and Will Greenfield.