"FOOL'S GOLD"

“FOOL’S GOLD” (Matthew McConaughey & Kate Hudson)

Boy, is this a sh*tty movie! Stay away from it – even if you like Kate Hudson & especially if you like Donald Sutherland – Don’t go, you will be embarrassed for him & by him. I don’t know if his career can survive this set-back; it may be time for the original Hawkeye Pierce to retire if he thinks this is quality material & that he gave a decent performance. Don’t be fooled like I was into thinking Kate, Donald & Ray Winstone might make this apparent travesty ‘watchable’ . . . they don’t.
McConaughey plays treasure hunter Ben Finnegan; Kate plays his ex-wife Tess. Sutherland plays a stuffy British millionaire named Nigel who has a Paris Hilton-ish spoiled brat media darling daughter with a double figure I. Q. as long as you use a decimal point.
This character was inserted, I imagine, to make the other characters appear semi-intelligent . . . it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work when the heroes, villains & supporting roles all come off looking like idiots. Tess’s moment of ‘brilliance’ is when she figures out how to not be spit out thru a geyser.
All of the bad guys are dopes (They’d have to be to be outwitted by the incredibly stupid Ben) Ray Winstone, normally a terrific meanie, is wasted & in a lame effort to bring in a more diverse audience, there’s a misplacedrap-impresario-out-of-water called Bigg Bunny. Yes, I said Bigg Bunny ; & everyone fears Bigg Bunny & his wascally temper.
Now, the idea of having a ‘gangsta’ character called Bigg Bunny should lead to some humorous moments . . . it doesn’t.
& Kate Hudson has gotten to the point where she seems to not even care anymore. ‘ Just show me where to sign so I can get paid & write my crappy dialogue on a rock & let’s get this career over with already’.
The story Ben & Kate tell Nigel & Paris about the lost treasure of some Spanish Queen is so inane I wanted to doze off during the scene. This movie tries SO hard to be “Romancing The Stone” that it fails miserably because it DOES remind you of that wonderfully refreshing film & the flaws of “Fool’s Gold” become even more noticeable.
Is McConaughey trying to set a record for the most consecutive years with one of the 5 worst movies of the year? The man is on a roll & I seriously doubt that it will end with “Surfer Dude” (Which I’m sure will play in numerous theaters around Western Washington, while quality like “Grace Is Gone” plays for one week at one theater then disappears)