by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
Matthew McConaughey is back on his indie game with a new release, but can he hit the highs of 15 years ago in the McConaissance?
The Rivals of Amziah King follows the titular beekeeper, musician, and valued member of the community (McConaughey), who reunites with former foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) after many years apart as a threat emerges in the competitive honey business.
And, honestly, McConaughey might be at his best. With the rural setting and business enterprise, mentally I had envisioned the character as a mix between McConaughey’s roles in The Gentlemenand Mud. I was not expecting to find my heart so warmed. From the opening scene, as he gets together with his bandmates for a quick concert at a rural Oklahoman version of a Sonic, I had a smile on my face, and it didn’t leave for a very long time. Whether he’s trying to help law enforcement find the culprits behind a hive heist, helping an elementary school with a hive problem, or introducing Kateri to his social circle for a planned or impromptu music session, the massive heart of this character just shines through. Maybe it’s helped by the fact that I just learned more about raising bees myself, but like Kateri, I am all in during the lessons on the ins and outs of beekeeping.
It’s a testament to the writing and McConaughey’s performance that I care so much about King, his bees, and everyone in his circle. As a result, when the threat rears its head, it’s devastating. The threat of the thefts is a seed planted early, but it lets you marinate in the community that King has built around him. So, when the movie becomes a crime thriller/mystery as Kateri is on the trail of the missing bees, I was worried my interest would wane slightly. By the climax of the movie, the smile was back, though. That’s because I cared about Kateri’s struggle. I cared about everyone impacted by the threat to the bees. As Kateri leads the charge to solve this mystery, I’m invested. This is my introduction to LookingGlass and, while she’s obviously not on the level of a seasoned pro like McConaughey, it’s a solid introduction and a performance that does nothing to dampen my rooting interest in seeing the injustice rectified.
A big part of that is how much I loved the colorful crew around King and Kateri. Though rural Oklahoma isn’t quite my flavor of rural, the biggest town I’ve lived in outside of college is around 9,000 people, so there’s a depiction of a small-town community here that rings true. Whether it’s King being a guy you call for everything, the very agricultural nature of the economy, the fact that everybody knows everybody else, there was a charm, despite some of the warts that exist in this community.
That also holds true for the characters we meet. None of our “good guys” are pure good. They make mistakes, they might even do some terrible things. That doesn’t necessarily make them a bad person in this movie’s eye. Likewise, I came in expecting Kurt Russell to be twirling his mustache as a villain, and, while he does play the role of evil rural kingmaker, he too is revealed to have something that softens him ever so slightly. Nothing here is black or white, it’s all in shades of grey.
The Rivals of Amziah King is writer/director Andrew Patterson’s follow-up to The Vast of Night. As a Patterson newbie, I love the style he brings to the proceedings. He does so much with the editing and speed of his shots that makes it one of the more visually interesting films I’ve seen all year. While I can see it annoying some, for me, it just added to the charm, as does the folksy/bluegrass score that mirrors the Christian-themed music of King’s band. That in and of itself can be another annoyance, but I found myself tapping my toes along with the beat.
As big summer blockbuster season comes to an end, The Rivals of Amziah King got me buzzing and is just one more entry in the summer of 2026 to work its way up toward the top of my 2026 rankings. Both it and McConaughey’s performance will be definite contenders for the best the year has to offer.
Rating: Loved It
The Rivals of Amziah King is currently available to watch in theaters.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd