Fool's Gold Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
This February True Love Takes a Dive.
A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure — and their estranged romance.
| Matthew McConaughey | Benjamin Finnegan |
| Kate Hudson | Tess Finnegan |
| Donald Sutherland | Nigel Honeycutt |
| Alexis Dziena | Gemma Honeycutt |
| Ewen Bremner | Alfonz |
| Ray Winstone | Moe Fitch |
| Kevin Hart | Bigg Bunny |
| Malcolm-Jamal Warner | Cordell |
| Brian Hooks | Curtis |
| David Roberts | Cyrus |
| Michael Mulheren | Eddie |
| Adam LeFevre | Gary |
| Rohan Nichol | Stefan |
| Roger Sciberras | Andras |
| Elizabeth Connolly | Precious Gem Crew Nurse |
| Andy Tennant |
4.90 out of 10 (4244 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Just a fool's comedy of errors...
posted on 26 Aug 2009This film attempts to offer a wild and silly escapist's fling before ultimately getting the audience to a happy, happy Hollywood ending.It basically relies on a script that throws in a cash-strapped and irresponsibly reckless beach bum with his bubbly, female sidekick; a wealthy English gent whose home and life, leisure and pleasure extend no further than his yacht would allow; a gang of violent scums, popping up in a helter-skelter manner, as if unsure of what they're supposed to do; a supplement of fable spin about some 1715 Spanish sunken ship carrying 40 chests of gold just waiting to be uncovered… all crammed into events circling no further than the ocean and beach span. It comes off as being unsure of relying on the focus of romance or actions, sometimes having scenes drag on, or suddenly having them interrupted by cut-and-paste scenarios, just to get them to link.There's really nothing, in this film, to challenge one's brains, except for a nice splash of catchy, witty and humorous lines and phrases, especially those shot out of the mouth of Ewan Brenner's character, to provoke laughter. Yep, nothing unpredictable! Character and event links are oft provided awkwardly by insipid jesters like Alexis Dziena's Cemma. Yet, there are moments I really did enjoy with this film. Oh yes, the enormous chemistry oozing out of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey's characters, his facial skits (despite his portrayal of an absurd, one-dimensional-minded devil-may-care character) that summon up memories of the articulated facial contortions and distortions of Charlie Chaplin's 'Tramp", and Hudson's ever so delightfully sweet and expressive face, plus the fabulous shots of the deep-sea scuba diving treasure hunt are worthy of capturing.As I'm a great Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey fan, I'd be willing to throw my dollars for a tix to see this flick. This film may work really well for the young teen viewers.
Alexis rules
posted on 18 Aug 2009Don't be daft, you prissy snobs. The only point of such a redundant pic is a high-camp "barely-legal" bikini bombshell and Alexis does a wonderful job ("barely legal" in inverted commas indeed as she's turning 24, for those "looks like 13" latent perverts who don't bother to check the bios). Pity she's made so scarce in the second half. The sword-between-the-legs is the highlight couple of seconds in the movie, the rest is pretty much a filler, the adventure side of which is only liked by the ones who find grave-robbing cool. McConaughey is justified by looking like a cuddly kid brother of Bob in Twin Peaks, but that's just about it. Kate is perennially likable, but here mostly for her linguistic quandaries ("Lost In Translation" by way of "Sex And The City). Sutherland is amiable though no doing much but still the only character to identify with, in my age. The rest is seedy slapstick.
Disappointing and irritating.
posted on 18 Aug 2009This movie was unbelievably disappointing, after the great chemistry and comedic timing of Hudson and McCounaghy in "How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days", I expected something at least marginally as funny or cute. The writing and the dialogue were insipid. Scenes which should have been hysterical were instead so poorly timed that it left me scratching my head. This movie was in dire need of some ruthless editing; for instance, the scene where Hudson and McCounaghy are explaining the history of the shipwrecked Aurelia to Sutherland. That was some of the most boring, long-winded, convoluted dialog I've ever heard in a so-called adventure movie, and it went on for several minutes. The entire scene should have been cut.The comedic timing was off...way off. For instance, the scene where Hudson tells the Gemma character, "There are other ways of getting attention besides acting like a bimbo," and then there is an awkwardly long pause before the "Ukrainian Sidekick" character says, "Like what?" This scene is followed by another awkwardly long pause where the characters stare at each other; presumably this is to allow the audience time to laugh at this "brilliant" piece of wit.And why in the name of all that is holy did the writer feel the need to introduce the Gemma Honeycutt character to this story? I felt like the writer was trying so hard to tell the audience, "This character is supposed to be stupid, do you get it everyone? This character is stupid," I felt like saying, "We get it, already. She's an idiot." The writer, in trying to convey that Gemma is a moron, underestimated the intelligence of the entire audience. The character was so annoying that I literally wanted to punch her. Anyone who claims that the character was realistic because they have, in fact, met people that stupid needs to seriously re-evaluate their associates.I felt like this movie was a complete waste of my money, and I lament that I paid the premium price for the ticket instead of going to the matinée. Not that I think the movie was even worth $6.50.I don't blame the actors, since I've seen Hudson and McCounaghy in movies that I really enjoyed, where I thought they were top-notch. I blame the writing and the directing. A major overhaul of both would have saved this movie.Obviously this movie was supposed to be light and fluffy, and I certainly don't expect "light and fluffy" movies to be Oscar-worthy. But I do expect them to be entertaining. Look at movies like "Romancing the Stone", and "You've Got Mail." Sure, they're fluffy, but they're not retarded. They're entertaining movies that reasonably intelligent people can sit back on the couch and enjoy with a glass of wine and a plate of lasagna on a Sunday night, and not feel like they've just sacrificed several hundred brain cells."Fool's Gold" was not even entertaining, and to me, that's it's biggest flaw.
No fool like a Gold's Fool.
posted on 16 Aug 2009I was expecting this to be a bad movie, based on its IMDb rating, but it is not bad at all, and mostly entertaining. It helps that I like all the actors.Matthew McConaughey mostly seemed like he was acting like himself as Benjamin Finnegan, hunter of lost ships at sea. Well, really only one ship, a Spanish ship that supposedly disappeared in a hurricane in 1715, loaded with treasure for the new queen. As the movie opens we see him and his partner in SCUBA gear, combing the sea floor, while a series of mishaps above the water line end up sinking their crusty boat.Kate Hudson is Tess Finnegan, she and Ben were married after a torrid and quick relationship, and even spending much of their honeymoon studying lost Spanish ships in a library. But since then Tess has become very disillusioned with Ben, and they are to be divorced the next day.But Ben knows he is getting closer, but with no boat and owing $62,000 and change to a rap artist, the divorce is not the biggest of his worries. He needs help, fast.Enter multi-millionaire Donald Sutherland as Nigel Honeycutt, who just happens to be at the beginning of a week-long visit aboard his large yacht by his ditsy daughter, cute and tiny Alexis Dziena as Gemma Honeycutt. Even in her ditziness she eventually makes an observation that will lead them in the right direction.A couple of Brits have good roles. Ewen Bremner (of 'Trainspotting' fame) is Ben's diving partner Alfonz. But when it is all said and done, his role appears to be mostly so that Gemma can have a boyfriend at the end of the movie. Ray Winstone is the crusty boatman Moe Fitch with a very thick souther accent.SPOILERS: Tess really does love Ben but she is getting the divorce simply to save herself from him, his lies, and his schemes. But just when she had given up, they find some new clues, and they trace it to a book long buried in a cemetery near the church, the oldest building on the island. The book reveals that the treasure was placed at the bottom of a sea-side natural blow hole which reveals the treasure only during a December low tide. It was put there to protect it. After an epic battle against the crooks, Ben and Tess finally prevail.
A very bad movie
posted on 04 Aug 2009This is by far one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. You'd think with all the money Matthew McCongaughey made over the years he could at least spend some on acting lessons. During the whole movie I just wished that all the casts would just die and end this misery for all of us...by the way this movie could be used for substitution for waterboarding technique for the CIA-- all you have to do is subject the terrorists to watch this movie clockwork orange style and they will confess in no time!The plot of the movie appeared to be very predictable and the story line was just simple and boring; and the writer really nailed it when one finds the possible location of the treasure the first instinct is to show up with a rusty sword and quickly notify the person who is trying to kill you.I was so irritated at half way I had to re-check the title to make sure this was a comedy, and then I started to cry when I realized I actually spent money on this crap.And, why is McCongaughey's character half naked the entire movie? Is it because skin cancer looks cool?
A fun romp
posted on 31 Jul 2009My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.Many funny scenes, physical, situational, and verbal. I'd regard it in similar terms with McConnahey's other treasure movie, Sahara.I had the advantage of liking the ocean, diving, and movies about treasure hunting. If you are too, you're guaranteed to enjoy it.The acting is solid throughout, the scenery is gorgeous, and the steps to solving the treasure mystery are both captivating and not nearly as 'out there' as in some other treasure hunting movies.You might have to forgive a couple of diving gaffes (being near an underwater explosion, even small, is pretty much going to kill you or at least ruin your hearing, but most adventure movies have a few factual errors like that. If you held them all accountable for them you'd never watch another one.
This is a good movie for the majority of people - not including movie-snobs
posted on 31 Jul 2009The movie is well worth the price of admission for the vast majority. It was actually my second choice but I thought my wife would prefer it. My initial interest was Kate Hudson, but the trailer had peaked my curiosity. As it turned out, I really liked the movie. The comedy of errors that start the story set the tone of the movie as a relatively mild intensity adventure. It doesn't pretend to be more than that. It will not compete with Indiana Jones for awards, but you don't get to see an Indiana Jones adventure every weekend.The result is that it's funny, interesting, and not especially predictable. Movie-snobs should not attend. This movie is for people wanting 90 minutes (113 actually) of light hearted entertainment. It is listed for the categories of adventure, comedy, romance, and thriller. That's exactly what it is. Go. Have a good time.
Not as bad.
posted on 19 Jul 2009I honestly didn't think the movie was as bad as everyone mad it seem to be. It was no 'How to lose a guy in 10 days' but it still was very good. Matthew McConahaugh(I know I spelled it wrong.Sorry.) and Kate Hudson have EXCELLENT chemistry together on set. They are both also very good actors. There is a lot of humor in this movie and a dose of action as well. Its not boring either, there is a story line to it that keeps you wanting to know more. It does seem very similar to other treasure hunting movies, but its still its own.I myself, would definitely recommend this movie to anyone. Especially anyone who is a fan of the two main characters.
Fool's Gold
posted on 11 Jul 2009I was very disappointed with Fool's Gold. While I enjoyed seeing several of my favorite actors, I think the characters they portrayed were shallow, boring, and generally not funny. The character Gem was hard to take and didn't seem to fit into the context of the story at all. The plot didn't seem to bring anything new that I hadn't seen many times before and the storyline, at times, was just plain boring. I found myself wondering when it was going to be over. I found the editing awkward at times and certainly think that the movie could have been much shorter. Save yourself a dime and skip this one.
Good solid movie
posted on 07 Jul 2009Living in the cold March weather of Winnipeg, Canada I found the sun and surf a relaxing break from the cold weather where the wind chill freezes my bones until July. A good solid movie. Great cast Hudson, Sutherland, and Matt. The actors can bring the best out of a script with their facial expressions, and mannerisms. Sutherland is like wine and gets better with age. A natural actor. The script is a good mix of humor, and action. The rapper sub-plot is added comic relief and action. The lighting and location shots bring out a feeling of adventure. The wide open spaces created by the camera angles give a feeling of freedom. All I can say is please take me away from this cold weather I want to be there in Florida. 7 start out of 10. Great to get rid of those winter blues.
A Reunion for Two Leading Actors!
posted on 05 Jul 2009A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure -- and their estranged romance.Before you criticize anything about my rating for this film, I will say that I hated the first few minutes of the film, although it still wouldn't change your mind for criticizing me for liking this film. I feel bad for enjoying this film too. The point still remain, I enjoyed the film.Well, I must say, the marketing in here is way off. It was marketed like a sequel to "How to Lost a Guy in 10 Days" and we know that if you reunite two stars from a successful movie, this will make money too. Well, at least it paid off from the distributors.When I saw the film, I expected something like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Well, it was trying to be like that for the first 40 minutes into the film and failed miserably to make us laugh. However, I tend to laugh at the more "stupid" jokes in here because it was basically stupid comments from the stupid characters which, to me, I found funny.After the 40 minute range, it could've been a "National Treasure" sequel and/or a "Sahara" sequel from there, in a much less scale, of course. This is what the marketing didn't tell us. Right from the start, I was surprised the movie was a little too violent as a light-hearted comedy.Well, I would be surprised throughout the film seeing some blood here and there and some action scenes. I see this is what you'll get when you take a romantic comedy film and mix it with an action adventure. The romantic comedy didn't work too well but I found the action adventure a bit more entertaining and tolerable, which is the reason I liked the movie.Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, again, have the good chemistry. Supporting roles were a bit off, especially seeing Donald Sutherland in this type of movie. Alexis Dziena is probably the one I would like to give hats off to to actually giving us some decent laughs in the movie.Go in expecting an action adventure movie rather than a romantic comedy the marketing was aiming for. I enjoyed it for what it was - a forgettable action adventure movie with some decent laughs, although completely forgettable in the end. Yes, I'm in the minority for liking this film. Give this a RENT.
Mildly Entertaining
posted on 03 Jul 2009I enjoy Matthew McConaughey on screen. He takes the most ludicrous scenes and slows them down to his pace until they almost feel natural. Sadly he loses the beat in the madcap Fool's Gold, even with his rock Kate Hudson to play against. Perhaps its the endless parade of cartoonish goon fodder, or perhaps its the overstuffed, over cooked cast of clowns, but they all go down with this ship of fools. I like Hudson's acting here. It's physical. I like the way she responds to seeing Ben on deck dining with the Honeycuts. I like how she kicks her legs and pouts after tripping over a gravestone. The movie gets their chemistry right, and it doesn't play the will they won't they game the way you might expect it to be played. It's almost a foregone conclusion that they will, and the movie builds to that obvious moment by uniting the characters mostly by their love of treasure. I also thought Donald Sutherland gave a decent showing here, and there was some unexpected heart in the scenes between him and his estranged tabloid exposed daughter. As usual, its tempting to take this as one great chunk to digest, but between all the pretty people, and all the vomit-inducing accents, it's sort of a moment-by-moment film.
Pretty mindless
posted on 01 Jul 2009An utterly mindless action comedy. No real substance, but it's no crime to cinema, as some reviews seem to feel. It's full of pretty. Just don't bring your brain to the cinema with you.McConaughey and Hudson carry the whole thing. Their chemistry and skill make this a far more watchable movie than the script and direction might otherwise deliver. I've no complaints about them, but I'll avoid this director in future.The script needed a heavy, critical edit. Unfortunately, it didn't get it.here were a number of directional choices that I just didn't get. I'm not sure what the point of Gemma was, and the money shot with the sword was deeply tacky - I got the feeling the director wanted to see how long he could point a camera directly at the crotch of a teenage girl without it becoming too explicit for the rating. The nominal bad guys were so ineffective and stereotypical it was painful, and the racial aspect was both blatant and offensive, and it was this that truly sunk the movie for me. All of the actors involved can do better than to be involved with things like this.
Love it or Hate it!
posted on 15 Jun 2009Matthew McConaughey stars and I'd be hard pushed to name another film I've seen him in. I don't know the female lead at all either, in fact I only knew Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone (Both woefully miscast) and Malcolm Jamall Warner who gets killed very early into the movie anyway.It's a pretty weak plot. Take a man whose wife is divorcing him for being irresponsible and devoting his life, time & money to treasure hunting.Yes, you've got a nice tropical island setting but the whole "misfits looking for treasure" is a very old and well used idea that's been done better many times before (the best being The Goonies).McConaughey is such a bum he's even late for his own divorce, he blows up a boat while he's diving for treasure. Most of the plot is pretty predictable. Yes, their going to find the treasure. Yes, their going to fall in love again.Its just a matter of how and how long it takes them to meander there. Include sex in a church, some grave robbing, a plane ride that ends up in the ocean and you've got this excuse for a movie.Only watch it if your either at gunpoint or have nothing left to live for. It's that awful. Not only both thumbs down, run away from any cinema showing it. Almost certain to go to DVD within less than 2 months. It's that bad.
"Fool's Gold" is all glitter and no grit.
posted on 13 Jun 2009The amusing antics of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" co-stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson brighten up "Hitch" director Andy Tennant's largely comic, rarely credible, and ultimately predictable romantic action comedy "Fool's Gold," with Donald Sutherland, Alex Dizena, and Ray Winstone. This atmospheric but anemic 112-minute, PG-13 rated, treasure hunting yarn contains trace elements of originality, credibility, and suspense. Indeed, Matthew and Kate make a thoroughly believable couple, and their repartee almost compensates for the hackneyed action half of the plot that has been done to death. Tennant imitates entire action scenes from earlier films. For example, the flying boat sequence that has McConaughey scrambling onto one of the pontoons, riding it into the clouds, and then taking charge of the aircraft in the air from the pilot appeared in the 1989 James Bond opus "Licensed to Kill." The first scene in "Fool's Gold" is the funniest and sets the tone for this disposable escapade. Ben Finnegan (Mathew McConaughey of "U-571") and his buddy Alfonz (Ewen Bremner of "Trainspotting") are scouring the ocean floor for treasure with the equivalent of an underwater leaf blower. Above them, aboard their untended ship, a faulty air compressor ignites a piece of paper that floats into the wheel house and creates a fire. While our oblivious heroes rummage around the ocean floor, their ship explodes and sinks behind them in a huge cloud. Ironically, when the vessel hits bottom, the impact dislodges a plate shard buried in the sand. Ben catches the shard and recognizes the plate was part of the fabled cargo of a Spanish treasure ship that sank in a hurricane back in 1715 on its way to Spain. Only after Ben and Alfonz surface and look around do they realize that their ship has settled at the bottom of Davy Jones' locker. Meanwhile, island gangster Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart of "Soul Plane"), who cuddles a rabbit, orders his henchmen to kill Ben. Bigg believes Ben sabotaged his own ship. Further, Bigg wants Ben dead because Ben owes Bigg over $62-thousand dollars. Bigg's henchmen haul Ben off for a date with an anchor and the briny blue depths. At the same time, Ben's feisty wife Tess Finnegan (Kate Hudson of "Almost Famous") is divorcing Ben, so that she can secure a loan and return to school. After the divorce, she learns that she no longer owns a boat and decks Ben with a walking stick. Tess takes a steward job aboard a luxurious yacht owned by multi-millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland of "M.A.S.H.") and freaks out when Ben shows up to ask Nigel to fund his treasure hunt. Bigg hires rival treasure hunter Mo Fitch (Roy Winstone of "Beowulf") to beat Ben to the Spanish treasure. Nigel's jet-setting daughter Gemma (Alex Dizena of "Havoc") flies in to sponge off her father and show her ignorance. Sutherland is hilarious as a wealthy British subject and his performance and ersatz accent brings to mind the late great Ronald Colman. Matthew McConaughey is hopelessly virile and Kate Hudson is as wacky as the late Lucille Ball.The adventure part of "Fool's Gold" runs aground because of its clownish villains. A troop of girl scouts could whip the African-American bad guys here. Not only are they are terrible pistol shots, but for all of their notoriety they also pose little challenge to Matt and Kate. Unfortunately, Tennant and co-writers John Claflin and Daniel Zelman cannibalize three infinitely better movies, namely "Into The Blue" (2005), "The Deep" (1977), and "Underwater!" (1955), for their treasure salvage plot. All these movies used the sunken, buried, or hidden Spanish treasure routine with greater success. Although much of this movie takes place at sea, you won't see a shark in sight and sometimes you don't even see any fish. What's worse, "Fool's Gold" roughly resembles the more straightforward McConaughey movie "Sahara" (2005) about Civil War treasure hunters. Unlike the goofy romantic action comedy that "Fool's Gold" qualifies as, everybody in "Sahara" played things straight. Ostensibly, like pyrite, "Fool's Gold" is all glitter and no grit.
The Oh So Beautiful Mountains Of Key West, Florida
posted on 09 Jun 2009Yes, the mountains of Key West, Florida, how beautiful they are...I don't exactly know the name of the mountains, even though I lived there, on the beach in that little stretch of land which is 1 mile long and wide.Even though I worked in Key West, shopped in Key West and ate in Key West, I still fail to remember the names of those oh so beautiful mountains or the caverns or lagoons.I know, me bad. Me dumb. Me stupid for not knowing the huge landscapes that protrude out of the water with huge amounts of foliage on the very shores of my home.I guess it must be the salty water or too much of the fresh air - it just rotted my brain.However, next time I go back to Key West, Florida - I'll be sure to look for those huge hills, caverns, lagoons and forest areas just to make sure that I am in the Key West that this movie was filmed in...and not some alternate universe Key West.OK...that aside, and a few other minor details like that; I think the movie was funny - especially the opening scene of the boat catching fire and sinking.There were moments of pure comedy and then moments of pure overdone stupidity and useless characters - like the Gemma girl.Yeah, her character could have been totally killed of and no big change - maybe if anything, it would have been better.To me, starting off as a comedy and then turning into an adventure movie just didn't feel right - especially the ending with a shootout and killing and such.But then it's OK...because the opening scene did more than enough to justify the ending. It made it a watchable movie to me.I can only assume that the writers wrote different parts and tried to patch them in, because when the action was there the comedy wasn't.When the comedy was present, action lacked.Even with it's minor flaws in geography and story, I found it entertaining and even funny.Over all it was good enough for me to say I liked it, but aside from a few moments, it still falls short of being a great movie.
wonderful movie
posted on 07 Jun 2009wonderful movie.I just don't know how, many rated this movie below 5. I am still searching for those 1000 dumb guys who rated this movie =1 and spoiled this movie s over all ratingAndy Tennant has done a wonderful job. i appreciate this work after HITCH.contradictory to what others say this movie is awesome, and goes to the superb list of treasure hunting movies likeinto the blue, national treasure, national treasure II, and others.expecting another great movie.
Everyone keeps bashing the guys who directed Meet the Spartans and such, what about Andy Tennant?
posted on 07 Jun 2009Oh, romantic comedies, I don't know why, but it seems like everyone is just being fooled into thinking these movies are original and funny. When I saw trailer for Fool's Gold, the first thing I thought was "Lemme sum up the movie for you..." and I did for my friends, they think I'm horrible for it, but I was right, everything that I said came true when I saw this movie. The reason why I saw it was because I got to see it for free and figured, just go ahead and give the movie a chance, sometimes I am a little too harsh on these films. So I went in with an open mind, nope, I was right, while this film was A LITTLE better than what I expected, it still was true to what I thought it was going to be. I was so blinded by everyone's tans, it was a bit insane, not to mention the horrible performances as well as cliché's.Ben and Tess are divorced, Tess is fed up with her husband spending all his time trying to find a treasure they've been searching for for years. But Ben is still very much in love with Tess and begs her to go for one last adventure with him, they go together with the help of Tess's boss, Nigel Honeycutt and his bimbo daughter, Gemma, to find the treasure. But of course there is always a villain who wants the treasure for evil purposes.The cliché's, Gemma, Tess's boss's daughter, she's a bimbo who acts like a total moron but is beautiful and sweet, blah blah blah and regains her friendship with her estranged dad. Ben and Tess, realistically, would they get back together? Let's say yes, but they'll be divorced again in a couple months. The script was horrible and the story just wasn't presented well and the actors were all wrong, I wouldn't recommend this film at all. Everyone is complaining about the Meet the Spartans directors and that those movies are "dumbing" down society, what about these lousy romantic comedies? Please, these movies are over done and are so over.2/10
Fun Despite Flaws, FOOL'S GOLD Would Shine Even Brighter with More Romance, Less Exposition
posted on 05 Jun 2009I saw FOOL'S GOLD (FG) on its opening weekend at a $4 matinée, and I enjoyed it: it was at least 4 dollars' worth of fun. True, FG has its flaws, but director/co-writer Andy Tennant and company are canny enough to build audience goodwill by reminding us moviegoers what we liked about the star team of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in their first film together, HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS. For instance, I'd say it's no coincidence that, as in ...10 DAYS, McConaughey's character's name is Ben -- Ben Finnegan, though everyone calls him "Finn" -- and he happens to use the word "Bull****" a la the game they played in ...10 DAYS, in an early spat with Hudson's character, Tess. Once again Hudson and McConaughey, aided and abetted by a stellar supporting cast (most of them acting in accents other than their own. Scotsman Ewen Bremner's attempt at a Ukrainian accent is an incomprehensible hoot, presumably on purpose :-)), win us over with their comic and romantic chemistry. For example, in the leads' first scene together during their divorce proceedings, it's clear from Hudson's expressive face that Tess still loves Finn despite being justifiably furious at his irresponsible approach to life and personal finances, especially since she's smart enough that she should have seen it coming. (As Tess's lawyer sagely points out, "Florida didn't ruin your life, you did. You married the guy for sex and expected him to be smart.") It also doesn't hurt that Hudson, looking fresher and lovelier than ever (sunshine suits her), and McConaughey, in boyish lovable rogue mode, both look gorgeous in beachwear as they swim, dash, bicker and banter all over the Florida coast (played picturesquely by Australia) in search of The Queen's Dowry, a sunken treasure ship, financed by wealthy Brit Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland) and chased by Finn's mentor/rival treasure-hunter Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone with a Texas-style accent) and murderous rap star/loan shark Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart) and his Jamaican gangsta henchmen (Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Brian Hooks) and his vicious enforcer Cyrus (David Roberts).I'll admit that during our area's frigid winter months, I always enjoy watching movies set in sunny tropical locations, which may be why I'm usually easy to please when it comes to such films (as you'll see if you read my reviews of SUNBURN and the Hawaii-set 2004 remake of THE BIG BOUNCE elsewhere on the IMDb). Nevertheless, even I agree that this screwball romantic comedy-adventure, enjoyable though it is overall, could use some tightening. At times, as Joe Bob Briggs would say, FG has too much plot getting in the way of the story. When the movie concentrates on the lively treasure hunt undertaken by the still-smitten exes and their party, there's plenty of deep sea diving and action. Indeed, Finn is knocked down, batted around, and hit in the head more than a cartoon character (appropriate, really, considering that FG comes from Warner Bros., the studio that brought us the beloved Looney Tunes). Sheesh, if that kept happening to someone in real life, they'd be lucky to be alive! FG starts with a title card explaining The Queen's Dowry's history, supplemented in what seems like every other scene as Finn and Tess explain further details about the ill-fated ship to anyone who'll listen. To their credit, McConaughey and Hudson deliver these lines in ways that convey the rapture of people who truly love history and the thrill of discovery, but there's so much exposition that, despite my interest in the treasure hunt, these talky scenes teetered dangerously close to making me feel like I was trapped in a room with the kind of avid expert/fan types who are so busy blathering on about their pet subject, they don't notice they're perplexing and/or boring those of us who aren't familiar with the topic. Well, at least the stars are nice to look at while they do all that talking! :-) Maybe the folks behind FG should have trimmed the exposition (and saved it for the inevitable DVD's "Deleted Scenes" on the Special Features menu :-)), or had it acted out in flashbacks, or boned up on how to do it well by watching classics like THE MALTESE FALCON, which also used an opening title card and conversations for plot exposition, but rendered all that backstory fascinating instead of exhausting. Better they should've used that screen time to show all that sex between Tess and Finn that they just kept hinting about. Every time those two crazy kids are about to get into some hot and heavy lovin', they leap behind some piece of furniture so we can't even see them! :-) I also could have lived without the subplot with Nigel trying to reconnect with his ditzy jet-setter daughter Gemma (played with perky kookiness by Alexis Dziena). Sutherland and Dziena play their scenes well, but their little subplot simply doesn't add anything substantial to this already busy movie, unlike the delightful Michael Mulheren and Adam LeFevre, who steal each of their brief but charming scenes as the down-to-earth gay couple who work as chefs on Honeycutt's yacht and give steward Tess relationship advice. Anyway, while FG may not be 24-karat gold, it's not dross, either -- just a pleasant, unassuming date-movie bauble for fans of Hudson and McConaughey.
Not that bad!
posted on 26 Aug 2009Sure, neither this movie nor the acting will win any awards. It's not meant to make you think, it's meant to entertain, and that it does. I found the movie to be funny, though the character of Gemma drove me crazy with her lack of knowledge, shall we say, of anything beyond shopping and looking cute. I laughed out loud at some points and was on the edge of my seat at others. It's a good date movie. Hubby actually said it was better than he thought it would be, and he is hard to please with these types of movies. I did find Donald Sutherland's accent a bit distracting, but liked his character anyway, and Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey worked well together, though I had seen a bit of Ben's character before in Sahara.