Fool’s Gold Synopsis: A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple’s sense of adventure — and their estranged romance.
Newly divorced Tess is eager to distance herself from her treasure-seeking husband, Finn. However, her plans to move back to Chicago and finish her degree are railroaded when she discovers the boat she planned to sell for the money has sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Without any other options, Tess agrees to join Finn on his hunt for the Aurelia, a ship lost at sea in 1715 that was said to be carrying treasure from a marriage dowry. They persuade Tess’s millionaire boss, Nigel Honeycutt, and his daughter to join the hunt, as they need funding. There is also the added complication of Finn owning quite a bit of money to a violent rapper, Bigg Bunny, who hires his own man, Finn’s former mentor, to find the treasure first.
Given the success of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in 2003, it made perfect sense for Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson to team up again for another romantic comedy. Despite not being as memorable as their first film together, Fool’s Gold opened at number one at the box office and ended up with $111 million worldwide.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but I distinctly remember enjoying it more than this film. Don’t get me wrong, Fool’s Gold is not a complete disaster. It’s hard to hate a movie starring McConaughey because he’s so damn charming.
Kate Hudson has never been a favorite of mine, but it’s hard to deny that she and McConaughey have chemistry, even though Hudson seems bored here. And it’s their chemistry that keeps Fool’s Gold from completely sinking under the weight of its silly script.
Kevin Hart plays Bigg Bunny in a more subdued way than what I am used to now. That’s not bad, but he wasn’t exactly the kind of antagonist that scared me for our leads. I will always love Donald Sutherland in any film, though I found myself quite annoyed with his perky but dumb daughter, played ultra-perky and ultra-dumb by Alexis Dziena.
My issue with the movie is that I had difficulty caring about any of the characters. They were poorly constructed, and not even the better actors in the film could have given them much life. Yes, there is some humor, but genuinely funny moments are few and far between in this movie.
I honestly don’t mind somewhat ridiculous premises in romantic comedies as long as they’re executed well and have some semblance of originality, but Fool’s Gold feels like a movie that’s been done before and done way better. My initial gut feeling was to award it 2.5 stars, but I docked it a half-star after sleeping on it for a few days. I love you, McConaughey. Your genuine himbo-ness, while you walk around wet and shirtless for most of the movie, is worthy of at least one star. Sutherland’s presence gets the other.
Watched: 08/13/2021
Notable Song: Truly Madly Deeply by The Dualers
