Fool’s Gold (2008)

Directed by Andy Tennant. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Kevin Hart, Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone, Brian Hooks, David Roberts, Malcolm-Jamal Warner. [PG-13]

The title is embarrassingly on-the-nose for this frantic yet frivolous (rarely a good combo) star vehicle comedy that appears to be having a fiercely-fought competition over which aspect should be more tedious: the love-hate romance or the treasure-hunting adventure. Finn (played by an overeager McConaughey) and Tess (played by a barely-awake Hudson) are freshly divorced, but since they’re stuck together on a yacht in the Caribbean, they might as well work together to search for the sunken Spanish treasure they’ve long been after. Aside from the scenic locations, there’s nothing here worth anyone’s attention, from the lazy writing to the maladroit direction; the chase-and-standoff-heavy final act doesn’t know when to quit, even though discriminating viewers will have already checked out long ago. There’s no spark at all between the stars, and the supporting cast fares no better—Hart is embarrassingly miscast as a heavy named “Big Bunny,” Dziena’s portrayal of a spoiled and shallow moron is like fingernails on a chalkboard, etc. There are so many “sly” references to Finn’s toe-curling sexual prowess that one must wonder if McConaughey performed an uncredited ego-feeding rewrite.

25/100