Matthew McConaughey: Comeback at SXSW

Matthew McConaughey is a local legend in Austin, so it was only fitting to launch his new film The Rivals of Amziah King - his first screen role in nearly six years - at SXSW, as a hometown hero. 

It was such a proud moment that his eldest son Levi, now 16, joined him and wife Camila Alves McConaughey on the red carpet in what looks to be a Prada bomber jacket. While this is a triumphant family celebration, especially since the film received a rare festival standing ovation, it also proves that time is a flawed, warped concept! How has it been almost six years since The Gentlemen?! And how is Levi 16, a near-perfect combination of both parents, and about to star in his first film, Way of the Warrior Kid, opposite Chris Pratt and Linda Cardellini?! 

Time really flies, and Matthew knows it too. In an uncommon move, Matthew hyped up the crowd on-stage before the screening, and recounted his history with the film festival, and the whirlwind of the past six years. Sure, he last had his film The Beach Bum debut at SXSW in 2019, but even he cannot believe it's been almost six years since he's appeared on-screen outside of a voice role, reminding the crowd he wrote and released a bestselling memoir, Greenlights during that window. And it's not like he has been off our radar completely. Matthew's a tuna salad recipe king, LOL. 

Still, this pre-premiere SXSW greeting is typically reserved for filmmakers, as the cast joins afterwards for a Q&A. But Matthew spoke on-stage first, with his trademark sentimental sincerity about the project, the cast, director Andrew Patterson, the film's underdog story, and what this “comeback” means to him. 

So, this premiere is pretty special. And Levi knows it too, showing support by reposting his dad's carousel of The Rivals of Amziah King photos to his Instagram stories.  

Plus, the film connects! The Rivals of Amziah King is an entertaining cross-genre southern musical heist film. It's a Logan Lucky-style revenge movie involving rival beekeepers (!), featuring an epic jam band (which includes actors like Owen Teague and Rob Morgan [Just Mercy, Mudbound]), with a focus on the power of “found family” between Amziah (Matthew McConaughey) and his musical troupe, and Angelina LookingGlass' character Kateri, his former foster daughter. Kurt Russell and Tony Revolori also star, as does Cole Sprouse (in his "dirtbag" era) who apparently shot 30 pages of dialogue in his one day on-set.

The duelling revenge schemes bring the carnage and blood (too much for me, personally), but the southern music is so tender and sweet, courtesy of T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart, Walk the Line etc). While Matthew predictably excels as an Oklahoma beekeeping expert, it's Angelina who sparkles in her acting debut, and fuses a flinty grit to subvert the more typically naive ingenue performance. It feels like a discovery, the type of introduction that feels reminiscent of Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of a Southern Wild, or Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone. There's a lot here worth celebrating, and the Amziah King soundtrack is full of bangers. 

The film currently has no distributor, but has already generated a great amount of buzz thanks to its offbeat story, compelling performances, and crowd-pleasing potential. Perhaps an “Alright, Alright, Alright” revival is imminent. And Levi Alves McConaughey is ready for the ride.