DIFF Movie Review: ‘The Salamander King’

by | Apr 26, 2025 | DIFF, Featured Post, Festivals, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Dallas Independent Film Festival

Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Keep Austin Weird’. That’s one of the more popular and fitting city slogans in the United States. For five plus decades there has been an ongoing battle of conservationists versus developers … or the little guy against big money. Over those years, the city’s population has quadrupled to around one million. On the surface, it appears big money won … but there have been a few ‘little guy’ victories as well.

Austinite (and actor) Austin Nichols directs a script from fellow Texan Drew Mackintosh that centers on the battle for control of Austin Municipal Golf Course, known to the locals as ‘Muny’ (actual Lions Municipal). The course is being run by carefree Ray (Ryan Hansen, “Veronica Mars”) and his band of equally laid-back cohorts. The course is a haven for old school Austin-types who beat to their own drum and avoid the pressures of high-finance.

Their world gets rocked when the city’s Green Space Authority hires consultant Sam/Samantha (Adrianne Palicki, “Friday Night Lights”) to find a way to turn the money pit course into a viable asset for the city. Sam’s douchey boyfriend Dylan (Justin Chatwin, “Shameless”) immediately sees the opportunity to turn the 130 acres into a corporate headquarters for ‘Elon’ … thereby setting up the fight.

What’s interesting here is that all of this is told a bit tongue-in-cheek with Ray’s never-grow-up-or-sellout charm striving to maintain a bit of Austin culture (with a bigger budget, this role could have gone to Matthew McConaughey or Glen Powell). In order to do so, he must win over Sam and find a way to overcome the city’s quest for profit. Of course, much of this is hinted at early on, but it doesn’t change the entertaining dynamic. Those familiar with Austin will recognize a few spots throughout the film, but it’s really the ‘state of mind’ that drives the story. This is reinforced by the inclusion of Gary P Nunn singing “London Homesick Blues” and “What I like About Texas”.

The film’s title is derived from a long-ago Austin story about development being stopped over the threat to the Blind Salamander habitat in the area. The film is never as serious as these real life battles have been, and there’s a nice comedic touch having former USC Trojan football player Reggie Bush play the role of a Longhorn nemesis in a marketing ad. Mr. Nichols has delivered a Texas film with an Austin mentality … a feeling that plays no matter where you live.

Premiered at the Dallas Independent Film Festival on April 25, 2025

David Ferguson
Latest posts by David Ferguson (see all)