Fool’s Gold (2008)

Rated: PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language
Length: 110 minutes
Grade: B-CCC=B
Budget: $70 million
Box Office: $110 million ($70 US, $40 Intl)

Written by: John Claflin and Daniel Zelman, whose only other “work” was Anacondas 2: The Hunt for Blood Orchid. Even in Hollywood, somebody has to be the busboy, right?
Directed by: Andy Tennant, who’s made a handful of good romantic comedies, including Sweet Home Alabama, Anna and the King, Fools Rush In, Ever After, and the outstanding Hitch.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Ray Winstone, and Malcolm Jamal-Warner.

Summary:

On the eve of being divorced by the love of his life, perpetual screw-up and treasure hunter Benjamin Finnegan might finally have discovered a significant find. Unfortunately for him, he’s gotten entangled with gangsters, sunk his boat, and needs his soon-to-be-ex-wife’s help to find out if he really has.

Comments:

If you thought you had accidentally rented Into the Blue again, you could be forgiven since the plot, casting, and just about everything else feels so familiar to that other (2005) movie. For me, this was a classic example of how a movie that you don’t expect much from can end up being entertaining because you had such low expectations. Everyone told me this was somewhere between average and not so much. I think the Blockbuster clerk said, “It’s entertaining enough,” which was a rave review compared to others. But we both liked it. Matthew McConnaughey is usually quite funny, although he can only really play one character, and the timing with Kate Hudson was excellent. The backstory to the sunken treasure story is fascinating, if a bit too complicated. It’s cute, funny, and charming. My biggest complaint about this movie is that they could easily have made it PG if they’d just been a little more self-restrained about truly unnecessary items. This could have been a great family movie had they intended to do so, but they didn’t. If you liked it, I’d recommend Into the Blue, which was comparable and had much more significant content value in the end.