Movie Review: Fool's Gold
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson Reunite in This Rom-Com
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey star as bickering lovers in search of treasure. Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone, and Alexis Dziena co-star. Andy Tennant directs.
“Fool’s Gold” re-teams Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey who struck box office gold in 2003’s “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days”. While the two definitely have some on-screen chemistry (moreso in “…Ten Days”), this formulaic, uninspired, and surprisingly boring romantic comedy from writers John Claflin & Daniel Zelman (Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid) and Director Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama) does little to propel it.
A Formulaic Romantic Comedy Without Heart
Matthew McConaughey plays Finn, a treasure-seeker obsessed with a Spanish galleon loaded with treasure supposedly lost off the Florida coast. Having ignored his wife (Kate Hudson) for the lure of treasure, the film opens with her filing for a divorce. Conveniently, Finn finds a gem of a clue just as the divorce is finalized.
Meanwhile, his wife Tess (Hudson) finds herself a job on a luxury yacht owned by Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), who in turn is struggling in his relationship with his bimbo daughter Gemma (Alexis Dziena).
Through additional mishaps and conveniences, Honeycutt agrees to help the bickering couple search for the sunken treasure with aid of his yacht. As one can expect; zany antics ensue.
A Passionless, Misguided Screenplay
The main issue with this film is a desperate and passionless screenplay. In an attempt to be ironic and inclusive, the film is unintentionally racist, sexist, and homophobic. This comes from inexperienced writers trying to comically handle on-screen clichés without an understanding of said clichés outside of an episode of “Sex in the City”. Some examples being; gun-toting gangsta-rappers looking for a piece of the treasure, gay cooks who wear pink shirts and can’t operate weapons, and a bikini clad heiress making Jessica Simpson like comments in a desperate plea for attention. In a smarter film this could be perceived as subversion, but here it’s flat and awkward. The dialogue in the film is listless and often feels borrowed from other, far superior, texts. Which is unfortunate as the first hour and a half of the film is essentially the aforementioned characters sitting around on a boat yapping. Some life is given to the film when the climax eventually comes about, but it ultimately feels like it belongs in another film.
Flat, Uninspired Direction
The direction in this film also leaves little to be desired. While competently filmed it struggles with pacing, tone, and life.
Awkward Accents Abound
Some peculiar casting decisions were made in this film as well, requiring actors to speak in accents they clearly aren’t comfortable with. Donald Sutherland fares reasonable well with his British accent and Ray Winstone does relatively well with a Southern drawl, but Malcolm Jamal-Warner with his Caribbean accent, and Ewan Bremner with his Ukrainian one are flat out embarrassing at times. While there is a fun kitsch factor involved in the sheer fact that these actors were donning these accents, it would be lost on the target audience of this film.
McConaughey and Hudson Dial in Their Performances
McConaughey plays essentially the same character he always does, the shirtless Cro-Magnon moron who charms the ladies with a smile. Our culture values those who look good naked more than those with depth or intelligence, so his existence in this film should be pleasant to most. Kate Hudson plays a relatively two-dimensional character the way she typically does; a bit of wit, a bit of condescension, and a whole lot of sass.
"Fool's Gold" Will Likely Disappoint Those Looking for Mindless Fun
“Fool’s Gold” may entertain a moviegoer with extremely low expectations, but has absolutely no passion or flare and is a painful retread of other far superior films. Those looking for the mindless fun of “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” will likely be disappointed when there are superior Romantic Comedies at the multiplex like "Definitely, Maybe", and "Penelope".
