It is that time of year again; with Valentine's Day right around the corner the theaters will be welcoming a plethora of romantically themed films. We have already had a couple with 27 Dresses and Over Her Dead Body. The latest is Fool's Gold. This time out, rather than add in supernatural or wedding obsessed elements, they toss in a little action/adventure (and I mean little). The combination of the love/hate romantic element, with the dissolved marriage angle, and the introduction of adventure, with the treasure hunting thread, makes the movie come across as the child of You Me and Dupree and Sahara. However, it has none of the meager charms of the former while containing none of the entertaining Indiana Jones-lite adventure of the latter.
Now, to put those players into motion. Finn is a guy who excels at finding money to fund his expeditions, but when his deal with BiggBunny heads south, he needs to find a way to continue his hunt, while avoiding his benefactor's henchmen. Tess seeks to get on with her life following the finalization of the divorce. Despite their separate aspirations, they find each other together again and on the hunt for a long lost treasure called "The Queen's Dowry." To fund the hunt? Well, that's where Nigel comes in with his millions. Meanwhile, BiggBunny isn't out of the picture, he hires Moe Fitch to find the treasure first. Off they go, like pieces on a chessboard, moving into position with conveniently placed moments of motivation swapping and unexplained moments of, well, the unexplained.
Hudson and McConaughey have strong natural charisma, and no matter what you think of them (bad movie decisions aside), they display a good amount of screen presence. They have good chemistry together and are the only reason that Fool's Gold is not completely terrible. I may not wuite buy them in these roles, but they do light up the screen and attempt to inject some life and charm into the generally dull proceedings.
While those two do a good job to help the movie's case, it is Alexis Dziena as Gemma who does much of the scene stealing. The character may not have much substance behind her; she provides much of the comedy with her dimwitted socialite. Her reactions, timing, and expressions are all spot on. She truly livens up some dull proceedings.
If nothing else, Fool's Gold should never be boring. I guess the creative team wasn't given that memo. While the movie was not as aggressively bad as something like One Missed Call, it certainly does not aspire to be anything good. It just is, playing out across the nation and helping to cure insomniacs of what ails them.
Bottomline. The stars are likable, a couple of scenes will elicit a chuckle, but overall you will find yourself fighting back the overwhelming urge to take a nap. There is neither meat nor dessert with this meal. You'd be better off looking elsewhere for a little romantic adventure.
Not Recommended.
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