The Rivals of Amziah King (2026) is written & directed by Andrew Patterson. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Jake Horowitz, Kurt Russell, Tony Revolori, Scott Shepherd, Christopher Berry, Bruce Davis, Cole Sprouse, Jenna Harvey, Rob Morgan, Owen Teague, Benjamin Hardesty, Anjelica Bette Fellini, Sharon Blackwood, Andrea Pister, Catherine Dyer, and Chip Carriere. The film follows southern folk musician, beekeeper, and widower Amziah King (McConaughey) after he reunites with his former foster daughter, Kateri (LookingGlass). Unfortunately, their reunion is soon upended when rival beekeepers steal Amziah’s hives. This eventually leads to an even greater tragedy, and Kateri is forced to choose between moving on and seeking justice by any means necessary.
Amziah seems tailor-made for McConaughey, who absolutely nails it here. It’s in the vein of his performances in films such as Mud (2012), but it doesn’t seem like he’s just going through the motions. It still feels like he’s trying to challenge himself/take his game to the next level, even though Amziah is yet another Southern wiseman archetype. Yes, he shows a mastery of his well-known ability to devastate the audience emotionally, but he also shows a fantastic singing voice–something I had no idea was in his repertoire of tricks. The film could’ve easily collapsed under the weight of being so music-heavy, but Matty Mc continually sells Amziah as a genuine musician. What makes the character truly memorable, however, is the fact that although he’s a soulful, sensitive renaissance man, he occasionally shows a hardened, angrier side. This duality makes him feel distinctly flawed and, therefore, human. We’re more willing to accept his oddly mythical qualities because it’s also clear that he’s not some perfect, Godlike figure and is still subject to the same unpredictable, sometimes unfair consequences of living in reality.
Angelina LookingGlass gives an impressively charismatic, dynamic performance as Kateri, but the script often seems confused about what it wants to say about her journey/arc. It can’t decide if it wants to tell a story about female empowerment, the consequences of violence, or the importance of legacy. This makes the character undeniably complex, but the underlying themes are spread too thin, so none of them truly resonate. I appreciate that the script takes some big swings with her characterization, but few pay off, and everything else about her is business as usual for the archetype.
The film’s mix of soulful folk music, intimate personal drama, and southern-fried revenge thriller is arguably its strongest element. These genres feel right at home with one another, but their combined flavors result in a unique, consistently unpredictable experience. It’s often tough to guess which genre the script will lean into, which leads to effective subversion of expectations. That said, the film is overly long and starts to lose steam at a certain point in the story (it’s obvious once you’ve seen it). This culminates in a climax that fails to deliver anything particularly new, unfortunately ending the film at a low point.
Overall, this is a wonderfully unique, but imperfect genre-blender that features an all-time Matthew McConaughey performance and a one-of-a-kind setting. Learning about the honey business alone makes this a unique, worthwhile watch. The film’s many big swings may work better for others than they do for me, but I think the script definitely needed one more rewrite. If you like music in your movies, but don’t necessarily love full-on musicals, this one could be right up your alley. I personally don’t think it’s Oscar-worthy or anything, but it’s a good movie; there’s no denying that. B
