We all know that summer caters to teenage boys (and the teenager in all of us), while movies tend to get more serious as the weather gets colder. King of California is one of the first post-summer movies to be released, and it follows that trend.

In King of California, Miranda (the always superb Evan Rachel Wood) is a high school dropout, who after being abandoned by her mother, is working double shifts at McDonald’s to pay for her family’s house. When her father, Charlie (Michael Douglas) comes home from a mental institution, he turns his daughter’s life upside down.

Charlie is convinced there’s buried treasure in Southern California. After some comical treasure hunting, Charlie “discovers” that gold is buried under the local Costco.

The reluctant Miranda indulges Charlie in his scheme when she realizes the treasure hunt is giving Charlie’s life meaning. California, after a slow start, picks up nicely as the relationship grows between the damaged Miranda and the desperate Charlie, as Charlie concocts his scheme to get the gold.

Grade: A-

King of California releases in select theaters Sept. 14.