Film Review: ‘Fool’s Gold’ fails to hit pay dirt
McConaughey and Hudson can’t cash in on old chemistry
Photo from movieweb.com
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson missed a step somewhere in this reunion. Before getting into the “plot” of McConaughey (“We are Marshall”) and Hudson’s (“You, Me and Dupree”) latest film, “Fool’s Gold,” let’s take a look at a little back-story of both their careers.Both have had incredible starts: McConaughey was highly praised for his work in 1997’s “A Time To Kill.” Hudson burst onto the scene with an admittedly stirring Oscar-nominated turn in 2000’s “Almost Famous.”
Both have seen their careers fizzle the last few years until “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” came around. That film, which was the first teaming of these two, grossed $105 million when it was released.
There is nobody to root for in this one, which tries very hard to be a cross between 2004’s “National Treasure” and 1984’s “Romancing the Stone.” In fact, it cannot seem to decide whether it wants to be a romantic comedy or slapstick adventure.
McConaughey plays Ben “Finn” Finnegan, a treasure hunter living off the coast of Florida who was just handed divorce papers by his ex-wife Tess (Hudson) because she is sick of all his dreaming and unwillingness to grow up (kind of like his character in “Failure to Launch”).
Ironically, on the same day these papers are handed to him, he also gets a clue leading to the Queens Dowry treasure that has eluded him his whole life.
After escaping his latest investor (played by comedian Kevin Hart in a very stereotypical role) who is chasing his neglected payments, Finn finds himself on a yacht owned by multi-millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (played by Donald Sutherland, who is obviously cashing a check here) and whose stewardess is none other than his ex-wife Tess.
When they explain to Honeycutt the history behind the ever-enchanting treasure they are seeking out, Honeycutt agrees to fund their trip in exchange for watching over his spoiled brat daughter (played by Alexis Dziena in a role that is an obvious dig at Paris Hilton).
What follows are chaotic and surprisingly violent warfare and chase scenes that go from one change of scenery to the next. However, the girls, who undoubtedly would have dragged their boyfriends to this one, will have plenty to look at because, once again, McConaughey spends half the movie without his shirt on. Director Andy Tennant fumbles with the formula of chase scenes and dumb humor.
The only real funny lines are given to Dziena, who was really good as Sharon Stone’s daughter Lolita in 2005’s “Broken Flowers.”
She handles this mess of a script like a pro, and in a role that could have been seen as yet another stereotypical brat, she is able to give just the right jolt to make you laugh out loud. Hudson uses almost all of her one-liners to explain Finn’s (in)ability in bed, while McConaughey, in a gag that also gets tiresome as the film wears on, gets bopped on the head more times than we can count.
‘Fool’s Gold’
Release Date: Feb. 8
Director: Andy Tennant
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson
Genre: Romantic, comedy
Rating: PG-13
Grade: D-
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on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 11:51 pm and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Film Reviews, Vibe.
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