Fools Gold

Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Action / Adventure
Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual material, brief nudity and language.
Director: Andy Tennant
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone, Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Date Of Review: February 2008

“Romancing The Stone” it ain’t but “Fool’s Gold” isn’t quite the disaster some say it is. Action and adventure films are extremely difficult to make. They are an escapist genre, one that you just have to go along for the ride with. What do audiences expect with a film like this? If you have seen the film’s poster or the trailer for that matter you get exactly what you expect, light-hearted fun in the sun with some great action, a little romance and a few laughs. For openers the setting for “Fool’s Gold” is magic. It makes good use of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (even though it palms it off as Key West) and Matthew McConuaghey is perfectly cast for this type of comedic-physical action role. The big boat is impressive, the reggae music is great, it has an action-packed rescue climax and for female audiences McConaughey’s abs are just as eye-catching as the scenery. Making a film that is all set on location, in particular, on water, is never an easy shoot. Take “Waterworld” for example, everyone knows about the difficult time they had on that one, but it’s always more fun looking at boats, beaches and exotic locations than it is sound-stages.

“Fool’s Gold” gets off to a well choreographed beginning that is hilariously entertaining. How McConaughey manages to set his boat alight and sink it while being underwater at the same time is amazing. In fact the film’s first 30 minutes has a light and breezy feel to it, just like sitting on a deck chair on a boat in the Caribbean. There are some catchy reggae tunes, some laid-back slapstick humor and some great action to boot. The film’s misstep is that it gets a little bit waterlogged with too much dialogue in its mid-section. There seems to be too many in-depth dialogue sequences relating to the whereabouts of a lost Spanish treasure. Yes, I know it’s the plot of the film, but the discussions seem to go on and on and on. Maybe, all they needed to do was take out 20 minutes or so. Also, you can only take so much of Donald Sutherland playing a pompous Englishman. What was his agent thinking?.

“Fool’s Gold” is a slight misfire but not the gigantic one that some make it out to be. Some critics have given it one star while others have gone even further by giving it no stars, implying that the film is an absolute bomb, which usually means the film is unbearable or unwatchable. “Fool’s Gold” is far from that. The scenery alone is worth a star, while the action and adventure may not be brilliant throughout, it is certainly very watchable and a lot of fun most of the time, so there’s another star for starters. The chemistry of McConaughey and Hudson is not as strong as it was in “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” but it is quite clear that at least McConaughey gives the film his all, so there’s another ½ star. The script may be lacking and could have been funnier, but it’s satisfactory, considering its aiming at light-hearted entertainment in a challenging genre. If you like action and adventure, go see it. It is light, it’s breezy, it’s fun and you may be pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed most of it, in fact you would have to be a fool to believe all the negative press, it’s really not that bad.

© Copyright Pick Of The Flicks. All rights reserved.

Matthew McConaughey DVD Collection - Now Available:
Click here for Matthew McConaughey Movies on DVD

Kate Hudson DVD Collection - Now Available:
Click here for Kate Hudson Movies on DVD

Donald Sutherland DVD Collection - Now Available:
Click here for Donald Sutherland Movies on DVD

Pick Of The Flicks Blog Spot / Messageboard:
Click here to have your say or see what others are saying

Use the search bars below to search our site, find your favorite movie or find your favorite poster:

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.pickoftheflicks.com