Fool's Gold (2008/I)

Director: Andy Tennant

Cast: Matthew McConaughey as Benjamin Finnegan, Kate Hudson as Tess Finnegan, Donald Sutherland as Nigel Honeycutt, Alexis Dziena as Gemma Honeycutt, Ewen Bremner as Alfonz, Ray Winstone as Moe Fitch, Kevin Hart as Bigg Bunny, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Cordell, Brian Hooks as Curtis, David Roberts as Cyrus, Michael Mulheren as Eddie, Adam LeFevre as Gary, Rohan Nichol as Stefan, Roger Sciberras as Andras, Elizabeth Connolly as Precious Gem Crew Nurse

"Fools Gold" centers on an almost divorced, or newly divorced, or still
madly-in-love couple (all 3 apply) searching for Spanish treasure that
was sunk in a hurricane in 1715. Does the movie succeed as balmy
escapism from the winter doldrums? Let's see…

Is there action?: Yes, the action was there, fun at parts, but broken
up by a lot of talking that really didn't advance the plot, but worked
well to confuse it (I mean a lot of talking). There was also the sound
of crickets chirping that at some points was so loud it drowned out the
dialogue. On purpose perhaps?

Did the actors have chemistry?: Yes, in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
they did. However, both Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson are likable
enough off-screen and in other films that you want to root for them,
despite the flaws of this film.

How 'bout the location?: I was never quite sure where the story was
supposed to be set. The real 1715 fleet went down off the Eastern coast
of Florida near Cape Canaveral. At one point in the movie they said
they were in Key West, but I've been there enough times to know that
those mountainous islands in the distance weren't anywhere near Duval
Street. The movie "The Deep," which also involved treasure hunters
searching for the 1715 treasure, also suffered from a lack of
appreciation of history, setting the wreck in Bermuda. But who can
complain when you have a salty Robert Shaw and Jacqueline Bisset in a
wet T-shirt?

Funny?: The laughs were few and far between. Theo Huxtable from "The
Cosby Show" was one of the baddies, and I think his pal in the film
might have been Cockroach (no word on whether or not their knowledge of
the 1715 treasure was based on "Cleland Notes"). I remember laughing at
parts, and then waiting to laugh again, and I was still waiting when
the lights came up and the usher rolled a trashcan in. I was still
waiting when I got in my car. I'm still waiting.

All bad?: What the movie does well is gets you out of the cold for a
couple hours. There were picturesque vistas of the tropics, girls in
bikinis, palm trees blowing in the breeze, and Bob Marley music in the
background. You may fool yourself for a moment into believing that
you're actually in the Caribbean, if you sneak in a Pina Colada or two,
or three.

Post Script: If you want to read a real thrilling, funny, and sexy
adventure story about treasure hunting for the 1715 fleet, try reading
Tom Ryan's novel "A Sword for Pizarro."