Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23095 in Movie
• Released on: 2008-12-31
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Running time: 113 minutes

Customer Reviews

No shirt, no shoes, no brainer
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. Matthew McConaughey goes shirtless
2. Kate Hudson channels her mom
3. He's irresponsible
4. She's determined
5. They're divorced
6. They're going treasure hunting
7. You can guess the ending before watching the opening credits

In other words, there's nothing new about this light and ditzy treasure hunting romp that plays heavily on stereotyping and McConaughey's shirtless bod.

The legend behind the treasure is interesting enough. Forty chests of gold and jewels, destined to be a dowry fit for an eighteenth century queen, was lost without a trace during the hurricane season of 1715. Finn (McConaughey) and Tess (Hudson) had been searching for it for years, until an accidental discovery clues them in that they're finally on the right track.

With the exception of Donald Sutherland, the movie loses momentum whenever the supporting actors are on-screen and the burden of the caricaturized characters sink the movie even deeper than the plotline.

The action scenes were good, especially at the end, and although there is violence, most of it is off camera. A couple of swear words and a few naughty scenes make for a PG-13 movie that should be found guilty of breach of promise.






Amanda Richards, June 7, 2008

Surprised by how much I enjoyed it
"Fool's Gold" Directed by Andy Tennant and Screen play by John Claflin.

Unlucky treasure hunter Benjamin Finnegan (Mathew McConaughey) has been on the trail of a treasure for years at the expense of everything including his marriage to soon to be ex-wife Tess Finnegan (Kate Hudson). Finn has recently uncovered a new clue that has reinvigorated his desire to find the treasure however it took the destruction of his last and most important possession, his boat, to find this clue. His debts to the islands local "Gangster" have been called in because it has been discovered that Finn has no means by which to repay what he owes. Finn winds up getting Tess re-interested in hunting for the treasure with his new clue and with the help of Tess's new boss multi millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), they just may have a chance of finding it.......

I actually enjoyed "Fool's Gold". It should be obvious that this isn't a movie that is seeking Oscar Gold but merely something intended to be fun to watch. As far as the mood or tone of the movie I would say it is a cross between or somewhere in the middle of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Full Screen Edition)" and "Sahara (Widescreen Edition)" or a less serious "Into the Blue (Widescreen Edition)" and if you like any of those you will likely like this as well.

The Good: There were some enjoyable if slightly hokey comedic moments. The story, although full of plot holes, was enjoyable. Mathew McConaughey and Kate Hudson were good on screen together again. Maybe not quite as "on" as they were in "How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days", but still good.

The Bad: If you cant get with the fact that the movie isn't really intended to be taken seriously most of it won't work. The comedy will likely seem forced or trite, the plot holes will likely bug you and the lack of believability will probably finish it off for you. None of these were a problem for me.

Overall: Is this movie full of plot holes? Yes. Is it believable? No. Is it likely to be an Oscar contender? No. Is it fun to watch? If you take this movie for what it is, an action/adventure/comedy and just go with it you will likely enjoy it. Give it a try!

Sluggish Treasure Hunting Adventure Romance
I know "Fool's Gold" is supposed to be mindless fun. The treasure-seeking story doesn't have to be believable as long as the film is fun to watch. I liked Matthew McConaughey's "Sahara" for what it was: good, clean fun of watching our hero doing what he is expected to do. I'm sorry to say this, but for me "Fool's Gold" turned out a disappointing entry from Matthew McConaughey who deserves a much better film.

Matthew McConaughey is a treasure hunter Finn, who is rather single-mindedly pursuing his dream - a Spanish ship loaded with gold, which has been lost for 300 years off the coast of Florida. Kate Hudson is his wife Tess, now divorcing him as she wants a new life in college. The story is all too familiar, but not bad. However, Andy Tennant, usually a competent director (whose CV includes "Hitch" and "Ever After") tells the story in an awfully slow and confusing way.

"Fool's Gold" tries to be an action-adventure-comedy-romance, but it becomes none of them. There really isn't much thrilling action to speak of, let alone thrilling adventures. To make matters worse, there isn't much comedy or romance either. The film suffers contrived situations, confusing subplots and lack of style. The action/adventures become abruptly violent as characters get shot in the foot or harpooned in the thigh. Romance or love-hate relationship of Tess and Finn doesn't convince as they talk a lot about treasures and love, but either character (with their long, boring dialogues) doesn't really look serious about what he or she is talking about.

Both stars look great, it is true, and they are clearly having a good time. But Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, formerly seen together as the leads of a romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," does not have enough on-screen chemistry together to make us really care. Probably they are not to be blamed, but the weak script is, as it contains so many detracting factors. Stereotypical characters--Ewen Bremmer as British sidekick; Donald Sutherland as eccentric billionaire and Kevin Hart as murderous gangster (or rap star), etc--do not help, nor lack of coherent storyline that goes on and on, not knowing where to go. And as to the annoying, bikini-clad "Gemma Honeycutt" character, what can I say?

"Fool's Gold" is a missed opportunity. It could have been more enjoyable like "Romancing the Stone," which was fun with two likable leads (and their charisma as stars), beautiful locations and story full of adventures. "Fool's Gold" has all these things, but still fails to be entertaining, which is the greatest flaw.