Fools Gold (2008)
Posted by Heather on July 3, 2008
Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language.
113 Minutes
Written By: John Claffin and Daniel Zelman
Hey, boats sink! No one knows why! -Finn
Synopsis
A newly divorced couple finds themselves locked together in search of an ancient treasure lost in the 1700’s. Along the way they must fight against another treasure salvager and outwit him. Meanwhile, a nasty rapper, who also happens to be a murderous criminal is hot on the tale of Finn, while he is hot on the tail of his ex-wife. Who is chasing who, and who will get to the treasure first is the question.
Review
If you are a fan of romantic adventure stories like Bird On A Wire with Mel Gibson and non other than Hudson’s mom Goldie Hawn, then this rambunctious story of love, action, adventure, and comedy is your cup of tea. What Fools Gold lacked in the plot department it compensated in other categories that made it a fun, though nonsensical, popcorn flick.
It’s positive attributes are directly from the main character’s played by Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. Their overwhelming chemistry, and particularly McConaughey’s lone charisma is what carried the story and made it worthwhile. The choices the character’s make and the situations they find themselves in are so far fetched from reality you feel like you’ve been hit by a stupidity stick, but you truly can’t help but fall for the surfer boy charm of McConaughey or the delightful delivery of Hudson. It is the difference between a terrible movie and a fun one.
To compliment Hudson and McConaughey’s charisma is a location that is just as beautiful to look at as our leads. The shots of the sensational Caribbean is breathtaking and really sucks the viewer into the feeling of free-spirited summer madness. That coupled with an excellent soundtrack in the back round makes Fools Gold a superficial, yet guilty pleasure.
Cast
- Matthew McConaughey as Finn aka Benjamin Finnegan
- Kate Hudson as Tess Finnegan
- Donald Sutherland as Nigel Honeycutt
- Alexis Dziena as Gemma Honeycutt
- Ewen Bremner as Alfonz
- Ray Winstone as Moe Fitch
- Kevin Hart as Bigg Bunny
- Malcolm Jamal-Warner as Cordell
There are no incredible or outstanding performances in Fools Gold, but there were ones filled with blinding charm and fun. Obviously, Finn and Tess have a great connection and comic timing, but their supporting crew, specifically Donald Sutherland and Alexis Dziena made for excellent comedic support, while helping the leads push the nonsensical adventure along. The “bad guys” were a bit annoying. They were more like bumbling fools rather than viscous criminals, which the interpretation wasn’t clear if that was their intent or not. They were surely the low point of the movie.
Ratings and Suggestions
This is no masterpiece. Fools Gold really isn’t even a good movie. It doesn’t make much sense, it’s plot is virtually inconceivable tossed in the context it is, and the character’s are way over the top. Nonetheless, I deem this movie a guilty pleasure. Visually you can’t go wrong, and the character interactions are just plain and simply funny. At it’s worst it becomes mindless entertainment, and on the right occasion we all need that. It’s worth a rental, and goes down as one of those movies you don’t mind catching in pieces over and over again on cable. Fools Gold gets 2.5 out of 4 Stars.
