King of California

Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood
Director: Mike Cahill

In front of a Costco store, a bearded Douglas rides a yellow backhoe, digging for Spanish treasure. Wood — dressed in a hard hat and orange reflective vest — wanders through a nearby maze of wild mustard, white construction tape, half-dug holes, and piles of sandy Southern California dirt. A security guard approaches to investigate the odd situation. "What do I say?" Wood demands of Douglas.

In this $10 million comedy from first-time writer-director Cahill, Douglas stars as a bipolar father who believes that doubloons are buried under a warehouse superstore. He convinces his teenage daughter, Miranda (Wood), to apply for a job there, and the two begin unearthing the mysteries of suburbia. "I've lived up in Ventura County and Ojai for, off and on, the last 15, 20 years," says Cahill. "I've watched it go from green hills to these tract homes. I started to think: What if there's treasure, but it's covered by what we've done?"

On the sidelines, Alexander Payne (Sideways), one of the producers on the film, sits in a canvas chair behind Cahill, whom he's known since their days at UCLA film school. "Here's my statement [about the movie]: It's going to be fine. Period. Maybe. Period," teases Payne, who is growing a beard in solidarity with Douglas. Then he turns his attention to a Costco membership application as Douglas refills the hole in preparation for another take.