It’s been nearly seven years since Matthew McConaughey’s last big-screen movie role, and it looks as if he’s ready to do some emotional damage to audiences with the heartfelt drama The Rivals of Amziah King. Today, Black Bear Pictures unveiled a trailer for the upcoming happy tear-jerker about the unbreakable American spirit, co-starring Kurt Russell, Cole Sprouse, Angelina LookingGlass, and Jake Horowitz.
What’s the movie about?
Andrew Patterson directs The Rivals of Amziah King from his own script. The film follows the charismatic and musically gifted Amziah (McConaughey), the leader of a bluegrass-playing band of misfits, while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. When Amziah’s estranged foster daughter (LookingGlass) unexpectedly returns, Amziah leaps at the possibility to renew their connection and create a family business. But the honey game is ruthless, and Amziah’s rivals threaten to destroy everything he has built.
Today’s trailer finds McConaughey playing a folksy beekeeper who loves what he does and wants nothing more than to show his estranged foster daughter the ropes of the family business. But when a rival sabotages his operation, a mission to retrieve the crop and restore the business becomes a matter of life and death.
Our thoughts on The Rivals of Amziah King
Our editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, saw The Rivals of Amziah King last year at SXSW, giving Patterson’s inspiring drama a 9 out of 10 in his review. Chris loved the movie and cautioned audiences to be aware of its dark turn in the second hour.
“In its second hour, the film gets surprisingly dark, with LookingGlass’s Kateri revealed to have a harder edge to her than initially thought, with her angelic smile camouflaging the fact that, as someone who knows firsthand how brutal the world is, she isn’t afraid to fight dirty,” Chris said in his review. Adding, “All of this helps make The Rivals of Amziah King one of the most unpredictable and wildly entertaining films I’ve seen in a while. Hopefully, someone snatches it up, as it’s a great piece of work and should rank among McConaughey’s best-ever roles.”
After watching the trailer, I’m adding The Rivals of Amziah King to my list of movies to see this year. Having just watched something I can’t talk about yet that deals with similar territory, a tale to protect someone’s livelihood is something I am into right now.
The Rivals of Amziah King releases on August 14, 2026.
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