Matthew McConaughey’s First Movie In Six Years Must Be Seen To Be Believed

The last time Matthew McConaughey graced our screens with a live-action role in a movie was in 2019 with the stylish Guy Ritchie film “The Gentlemen.” But now he’s finally back with a new feature film, and it is something that must be seen to be believed.

“The Rivals of Amziah King” is only Andrew Patterson’s second feature film (after his fantastic debut, “The Vast of Night”), but it feels like it was made by a veteran filmmaker at the top of his craft. This is a movie that begins as a comedic modern Western, but evolves into a revenge drama. Oh, and it’s also a musical, a slapstick comedy, and a movie about stolen bees. It’s the kind of indie movie with so many story beats, tonal shifts, and ideas that it can either get bogged down by how overstuffed it is, or coalesce into something transcendent. Thankfully, Patterson’s film is the latter — it’s one of the most unique films of 2025.

At one point, Patterson envisioned “The Rivals of Amziah King” as a seven-episode mini-series, and it shows. There is a pseudo-episodic feel to the film, as it introduces something entirely new every few minutes. The movie begins in the dusty parking lot of a fried steak sandwich shop, where a group of musicians led by the bearded, bandana-wearing Amziah (McConaughey) join in a delightful bluegrass number that sets the stage for a film where anything goes. The film, which features a small community full of colorful characters, has a story that feels a bit like “The Simpsons” in how it plays loose with realism in favor of a fun story.

Indeed, this is a movie about beehive theft and fierce beekeeping competition, treating the craft with a level of somberness akin to a prestige TV drama. Jason Statham may have played a sort of beekeeper last yearbut Amziah King shows why you shouldn’t mess with the real deal.

“The Rivals of Amziah King” is a loving portrait of a small Oklahoma community, the kind of movie that makes you want to move somewhere new just to experience what its characters do. Amziah spends the first half of the film introducing the audience, and re-introducing his former foster kid Kateri (the phenomenal Angelina LookingGlass, a revelation), to his community, making her and us feel like a part of it. A scene wherein Amziah takes Kateri to a potluck and explains the history and tradition behind every dish and how it connects the people from the town does wonders in making the story feel grounded and the world appear lived-in. Likewise, the musical numbers are a great way for us to get to know the characters and how they interact with one another, as the songs are all diegetic and fitting Amziah and his friends’ lifestyle and how they approach life (with a banjo in hand and lots of humor).

Without spoiling the many surprises “The Rivals of Amziah King” has in store, the movie takes some wild swings that border on the absurd, but they work because the audience believes in Amziah himself and the community around them. The characters are well-defined to the point where they can support even the most bonkers of stories. I spoke a bit about the film on today’s episode of the /Film Daily podcast, where we discussed the best movies of SXSW 2025:

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As of this writing, “The Rivals of Amziah King” is still looking for U.S. distribution.