Product Description

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson go for the gold (and the diamonds, emeralds and rubies) as a just-divorced couple who bicker and banter their way through an adventure- and laugh-packed undersea treasure hunt. McConaughey is Finn, in love with his ex (Hudson) and in deep with gangster Bigg Bunny. After eight years of searching, Finn gets a clue to the whereabouts of the Queen’s Dowry, a fabulous fortune that mysteriously disappeared in the Caribbean in 1715. Now all he has to do is get the gold, get the girl and get going before Bigg Bunny gets him. Directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch), Fool’s Gold glitters with danger, action, romance, comedy, great one-liners – and a great time to be had by all!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2218 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-06-17
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com
The "gold" of the title refers to an elusive pirate's booty, but it just as easily could mean the sun-washed glistening shores of Florida, or the sumptuously tanned bodies of its appealing stars, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. The whole film is awash in golden highlights, and the scenery and cinematography make the experience akin to taking a tropical holiday. Hudson and McConaughey reprise the chemistry they first exhibited in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, sparking and tangling and kvetching, while all the while the audience knows, of course, they adore each other and are perfect for each other. McConaughey is a dreamer, on the trail of a sunken pirate's treasure, and Hudson his now-ex-wife, a historian who prefers life to be a little more sedate. McConaughey, as Finn, delivers impassioned speeches to Hudson, as Tess, saying, "You want history? It's in the ocean, lady!" Before you can say Romancing the Stone, Tess and Finn are grudgingly reunited in search of the booty. If the plot doesn't contain many surprises, the froth of the stars' chemistry is amiable and makes for a perfect date movie. Scuba divers may find McConaughey's antics below the surface to be wildly unbelievable and usually fatal, but in the end viewers will root for him to surface, and recapture the heart of his lady love. --A.T. Hurley

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!

It's all been done... and this doesn't really do it better
Fool's Gold takes an old formula and plugs in a couple of current 'hot bods' to try to mine some coin at the box office and later (now) on disc. Unfortunately the formula has been used too many times and what we are given in Fool's Gold doesn't really add enough new twists to make it compelling enough to recommend as a buy. Even as a rental, this one is a bit weak and something that could just as easily be passed over for something else.

This movie wanders territory between the 2 and 3 star range, and if possible, I'd plant it around 2.5 for the whole product. The Blu-ray is relatively light on extras, but that may be more a matter of the studios showing us some mercy. The gag reel that is included isn't all that funny and really doesn't show us much to keep us interested. The Featurette: "Fool's Gold: Flirting with Adventure - The Chemistry Between Two Charming Contemporary Stars" makes up the remaining bonus material, but that's little more than 5 minutes of ego boosting material for the film's stars.

Best recommendation, rent it first, if not skip it entirely. :-(