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Fool's Gold

Only a fool would fall for this one

By Geoff Berkshire

Metromix
February 8, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Newly divorced Ben (Matthew McConaughey) and Tess (Kate Hudson) find themselves drawn back together thanks to a fresh lead in their pursuit of a legendary 18th-century Spanish treasure. Ben manages to convince Tess’ billionaire employer (Donald Sutherland) and his clueless-as-a-Hilton daughter (Alexis Dziena) to aid them in the quest, but faces a mighty foe in gangster/hip-hop star/Kanye West-doppleganger Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart).

Big question: Will this second McConaughey/Hudson match-up result in the same critical complaints and dreamy box office as “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days”?

Skip it: Hudson isn’t entirely without charm but the rest of the cast, including the clearly slumming Sutherland, seems lost at sea. What should’ve been a fool-proof combination of exotic visuals, buried treasures and light romance between a cute dumb guy and a cute smart girl instead gets bogged down by dull drama involving strained family and romantic relationships.

Catch it: If you’ve always wanted to see “The Cosby Show” son Theo Huxtable (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) get shot in the foot.

Bottom line: Don’t bother trying to follow the convoluted plot, it eventually becomes clear that the movie is nothing but a flimsy excuse for McConaughey to spend half of his screen time shirtless. That’s probably enough to satisfy some viewers, but everyone else is in for a painfully long sit through a movie that fails spectacularly at comedy, romance and adventure.

Bonus: Think it’s possible to make a tropical adventure movie without including Bob Marley on the soundtrack? Then you already have more imagination than “Fool’s Gold” director Andy Tennant.