Fools Gold (2008)

"Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson together are Pure Gold!  Bill Bregoli, Westwood One
"Engaging...lively...a movie that thrives on the strength of its affable co-stars...  Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"A fun romantic adventure!  Clear Channel "Radio With A Twist"

Editor's Note Having proven themselves a magnetic pair in 2003's HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey team up once again as two fun-loving, bickering exes in this action-packed, violent, and sexy treasure hunt. Part romantic comedy, part deep-sea diving adventure, FOOL'S GOLD is set in the beautiful seas and sunny shores of Key West, where Tess (Hudson) and Finn (McConaughey) are set to meet for divorce proceedings. Fed up with Finn's money-squandering lifestyle, Tess can't wait to be rid of him so she can return to the academic pursuits she abandoned seven years earlier, when the two lovebirds embarked on a romantic globe-spanning hunt for rumored treasure. But as fate would have it, Tess just happens to work aboard a yacht owned by Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), the same rich man Finn has his sights on as a prospective benefactor for his latest diving debacle. Suspecting this, Tess encourages Nigel to sail off as soon as the divorce papers are in her hands, but their departure is delayed when Nigel's spoiled heiress daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), arrives. Using his sex appeal and daredevil charm, Finn maneuvers his way aboard the ship and into Gemma's heart, not even knowing that Tess, whom he hopes to win back, is also on deck. Once the secret is out, the two must decide whether to part ways or to use a fresh clue to find the treasure they've been seeking for a decade. With Gemma's youthful naiveté, Nigel's aging wisdom, death threats from some villain gangster rappers, treasure hunting competition, and lots of sexual chemistry driving them, the two succumb to the spontaneity that runs through their blood and go for the gold in more ways than one. FOOL'S GOLD boasts lively performances from a solid cast that brings the film's clever, quick humor to life.

	Alexis Dziena
	Donald Sutherland
	Ewen Bremner
	Kate Hudson
	Kevin Hart
	Malcolm-Jamal Warner
	Matthew McConaughey
	Ray Winstone
	Andy Tennant - Director
	Bernie Goldmann - Producer
	Charles Wood - Production Designer
	Damien Drew - Art Director
	Don Burgess - Cinematographer
	George Fenton - Original Music By
	Jim Dyer - Executive Producer
	John Claflin, et. al. - Writer
	Tracey Wadmore-Smith - Editor
	Troy Takaki - Editor

ReelViews 7 of 10
Five years ago, Hollywood paired Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and the match rewarded the filmmakers with box office receipts exceeding $100 million. No doubt the hope was that a reunion of these two in a script intended to recall Romancing the Stone would reap similar benefits. Somehow, however, Fool's Gold doesn't have all the necessary elements. The movie isn't entirely successful as a romance or as an adventure, which makes the experience of watching it feel shallow and hollow, sort of like the stars and the plot...It would be nice to say that Hudson and McConaughey connect the same way they did in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but the fitful chemistry from that film has all but evaporated here...Tennant has a pretty good resume when it comes to affecting lighthearted romances (he directed both Hitch and Fools Rush In), but he doesn't have the right actors to pull it off here. Hudson and McConaughey are both passive. Pair Dziena with either of them and a few fireworks might have gone off. Overall, Fool's Gold is not unwatchable and the action-overloaded final 30 minutes passes quickly and easily. It's getting to that point that can be a chore. At best, Fool's Gold deserves a bronze. - James Berardinelli

Salon.com 5 of 10
There's room for only one sex symbol in Andy Tennant's romantic adventure "Fool's Gold," and it isn't Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey plays Finn, a modern-day treasure hunter with a propensity for traipsing around Florida without his shirt, the better to show off his gleaming Charles Atlas muscles. He's a good-time guy, the god of Coppertone and brewskis, but somewhat lacking in the responsibility department, which is why his wife, Tess (Kate Hudson), is divorcing him...The sexiest guy in "Fool's Gold" isn't McConaughey but Sutherland, who's cast in the supposedly unsexy role of the older, rich yacht owner (he's also a dad, to a pouty celebutante played by Alexis Dziena, who manages to bring some flirtatious wit to her role). Sutherland gives contours to a character who's essentially a stereotype. Nigel Honeycutt is the kind of guy who swathes ascots around his neck and feels secure enough in his masculinity to sport a pocket foulard; he has smooth manners and a wicked smile. But Sutherland doesn't play the character's elegance as a cartoon: He slips into the role as if it were a pair of silk pajamas, and his casual sensuality is so much hotter than McConaughey's slippery pecs. Sutherland is the only actor in "Fool's Gold" who isn't trying too hard, perhaps because he doesn't have to. He's the movie's only treasure, hidden in plain sight. - Stephanie Zacharek