Fool's Gold (C or 2/4 stars)
Well this is no fun. Here I went into 'Fool's Gold' (directed by Andy Tennant) figuring it to be awful. I was anticipating writing a fun, scathing review. To my dismay, it isn't half as bad as I was expecting. The plot is as follows: a recently divorced couple team up with some unsuspecting allies to find lost treasure off the coast of the Florida Keys. I'd categorize this as a sort-of-romantic, sort-of-adventure flick. But while it offers beautiful locales, comfy characters, & a laidback story, this film suffers from bursts of insultingly idiotic scenes. And some of the superficialities of the film's proceedings really bog it down, as well.
We kick-off with Ben Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey), a head-in-the-clouds beach bum, and his pal Alfonz (Ewan Bremmer), diving for treasure in the crystal blue seas. Obsessed with finding 18th century Queens Dowry (only 40 chests of treasure!), Ben lets his attention wander at the bottom of the ocean and finds that his boat has sunk. Something else that is sunk? ... his marriage to Tess (Kate Hudson). Trying to rebuild her shaky life, Tess works on a yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland, with a poor British accent in tow). She notes that Ben was always good for sex, but was just too immature for her. Feelings start to change though when Ben finds Tess to tell her that he's found a vital clue to the whereabouts of the Spanish treasure they've always sought.
He's excited, she's skeptical. And by using his good-natured charm, Ben is able to persuade Tess' billionaire boss to join in on their sunken treasure scheme. Along for the ride is Nigel's bimbo daughter (played with great energy by Alexis Dziena). Their pursuit of the Spanish treasure is hampered by a menagerie of so-called villains: first of which is old nemesis Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone ... what is YOUR accent, and what are you DOING in this?) But even more dangerous is island-owning, gangster rapper Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart), and his band of gun-wielding thugs. Will they find the treasure? Who lives, who dies? Will this quest for treasure rekindle the love that once was btwn. Ben & Tess? Blah-dee-blah. We all know the answers. I just wish that getting to them were more fun.
'Fool's Gold' is really made up of 3 distinct parts, and those parts suceed and/or fail on various levels. 1) The treasure hunt is sporadically fun; and surprisingly dangerous (at parts). But there's so much information to take-in. It all becomes quite convoluted, even protracted. 2) The romance btwn. Ben & Tess barely works. These 2 actors had chemistry in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days; but they lack energy this time around. And 3) there's an interesting father/daughter subplot involving the Sutherland/Dziena characters. He's rich, carefree, but a poor father. She's a spoiled brat, but 'wants' a better relationship with her dad. The bond they achieve may feel somewhat artificial. But we're grasping at straws here for honest cinematic sentiment.
You know, 'Fool's Gold' is a pretty watchable movie. That said, I had the fortune of watching this on DVD in the comfort of my own home. I think I would have gotten pretty restless in the theater; it's too listless, too often. The strengths of the film include its sumptuous scenery (all underwater sequences are filmed beautifully), its well-known co-stars, a fun reggae-infused soundtrack, and the fact that it really doesn't take itself too seriously. If you love Caribbean tales of shipwrecks, pirates, buried treasure, torn maps, etc., then maybe this is the film for you. OR, if you want to admire McConaughey's perfect physique, then maybe the movie is for you. OR, if you think Kate Hudson is hot, ditto. Overall, it's a pretty, but pretty frivolous movie.
We kick-off with Ben Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey), a head-in-the-clouds beach bum, and his pal Alfonz (Ewan Bremmer), diving for treasure in the crystal blue seas. Obsessed with finding 18th century Queens Dowry (only 40 chests of treasure!), Ben lets his attention wander at the bottom of the ocean and finds that his boat has sunk. Something else that is sunk? ... his marriage to Tess (Kate Hudson). Trying to rebuild her shaky life, Tess works on a yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland, with a poor British accent in tow). She notes that Ben was always good for sex, but was just too immature for her. Feelings start to change though when Ben finds Tess to tell her that he's found a vital clue to the whereabouts of the Spanish treasure they've always sought.
He's excited, she's skeptical. And by using his good-natured charm, Ben is able to persuade Tess' billionaire boss to join in on their sunken treasure scheme. Along for the ride is Nigel's bimbo daughter (played with great energy by Alexis Dziena). Their pursuit of the Spanish treasure is hampered by a menagerie of so-called villains: first of which is old nemesis Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone ... what is YOUR accent, and what are you DOING in this?) But even more dangerous is island-owning, gangster rapper Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart), and his band of gun-wielding thugs. Will they find the treasure? Who lives, who dies? Will this quest for treasure rekindle the love that once was btwn. Ben & Tess? Blah-dee-blah. We all know the answers. I just wish that getting to them were more fun.
'Fool's Gold' is really made up of 3 distinct parts, and those parts suceed and/or fail on various levels. 1) The treasure hunt is sporadically fun; and surprisingly dangerous (at parts). But there's so much information to take-in. It all becomes quite convoluted, even protracted. 2) The romance btwn. Ben & Tess barely works. These 2 actors had chemistry in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days; but they lack energy this time around. And 3) there's an interesting father/daughter subplot involving the Sutherland/Dziena characters. He's rich, carefree, but a poor father. She's a spoiled brat, but 'wants' a better relationship with her dad. The bond they achieve may feel somewhat artificial. But we're grasping at straws here for honest cinematic sentiment.
You know, 'Fool's Gold' is a pretty watchable movie. That said, I had the fortune of watching this on DVD in the comfort of my own home. I think I would have gotten pretty restless in the theater; it's too listless, too often. The strengths of the film include its sumptuous scenery (all underwater sequences are filmed beautifully), its well-known co-stars, a fun reggae-infused soundtrack, and the fact that it really doesn't take itself too seriously. If you love Caribbean tales of shipwrecks, pirates, buried treasure, torn maps, etc., then maybe this is the film for you. OR, if you want to admire McConaughey's perfect physique, then maybe the movie is for you. OR, if you think Kate Hudson is hot, ditto. Overall, it's a pretty, but pretty frivolous movie.