Surprised by how much I enjoyed it
Patrick A. Kellner | Atlanta | 03/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
""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!
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It's all been done... and this doesn't really do it better
terpfan1980 | Somewhere near Washington DC, United States | 07/05/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"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. :-("
Fools should refer to those who rent this...
J. S. Smith | Washington, DC | 06/29/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This is almost unwatchable... it is great that Donald Sutherland is still working but to see him in something this bad just shows how hard times are."