The Rivals of Amziah King (2026)
Directed by: Andrew Patterson
Premise: A beekeeper and musician (Matthew McConaughey) mentors his former foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) in his honey making business. When their beehives are stolen, she must discover the culprit.
What Works: The Rivals of Amziah King is fundamentally a crime story but that’s slightly disguised by the unusual narrative structure, the emphasis on character, and the film’s musicality. The title character is a beekeeper and a musician. Those qualities complement each other. The musical performances are great but the filmmakers wring a lot of storytelling economy out of them, communicating character, setting, and themes through the songs. Amziah is part of a troupe of musicians and the film emphasizes the way they work together; in one outstanding sequence a group of musicians gather in Amziah’s home and he coaxes his protégé Kateri into participating. The musicianship parallels the social structure of the bees and Amziah speaks poetically about the organization of bee colonies. The music is the glue holding together the first half of the movie and the filmmakers use the rhythms of the songs to give the assembly of the picture a musical quality. The Rivals of Amziah King stars Matthew McConaughey in the title role. He has frequently played fast talking characters but this is one of the best uses of McConaughey’s talents. The filmmakers capitalize on his charm and humor but also allow McConaughey’s character a soulfulness that is endearing and engaging.
What Doesn’t: The narrative of The Rivals of Amziah King is not organized in the manner of a typical Hollywood film. It’s split in two; the first half is Amziah’s story and the second half is Kateri’s story. Amziah’s story is really a false first act; the main story begins in the transition to the second half. This structure is a feature, not a bug, but it might beguile some viewers. The second half of The Rivals of Amziah King is the less compelling portion. It’s a bit dramatically flat, partly owing to Kateri rarely coming into direct conflict with the villain, played by an underutilized Kurt Russell. Kateri is an underwritten character. Actress Angelina LookingGlass does a great job giving the character an inner life but Kateri doesn’t have much of a character arc. She’s a passive presence through the first half and in the second half she treads into ethically and morally grey areas but the film does not make much of those choices nor do they contrast the darkness of Kateri with the goodness of her mentor.
Bottom Line: The Rivals of Amziah King has an extraordinary first half and a competent second half. The performances are very good and the film has a surging musicality and a vibrant sense of place. There are some darker ideas and moral implications lurking in the background that don’t get their due.
Episode: #1113 (August 23, 2026)