Fool's Gold

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Having both started out with showboating potential in Almost Famous and A Time to Kill, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey quickly descended into generic romantic comedy hell. Fool's Gold at least tries to be different than both leads' back catalogues of unfunny, torso-revealing pap, by centering on some missing gold that our recently-divorced duo must obtain. This gold is needed to pay off a malevolent rapper who (somehow) funded one of Finn's (McConaughey) many ill-fated attempts at locating an elusive stash of Spanish treasure that washed off the cost of Florida in the early 1700s. Matthew McConaughey headlines another feature where the vast majority of punters will be paying to see his imposing pectorals gleaming in the golden sun, as opposed to this horrific attempt at an 'adventure' film. Hudson meanwhile, does her best and has got clear comedic ability, even if it's smothered here. Needless to say, there are many reasons not to see this: from a concoction of some of the worst accents recently committed to celluloid (Sutherland winning a close-fought race with Winstone and Bremner) to a plot that involves little adventure-like shenanigans. Instead, it sees our leads largely standing around discussing something that sounds incredibly exciting, which then turns out to be about as audacious as trying to find a pair of sunglasses at the bottom of a swimming pool. McConaughey tries in vain to distract from the mundanity of it all by appearing for most of the film shirtless. Hudson takes her kit off a lot less, but when she does it's almost always in conjunction with another lull in the already tediously slow momentum. The comedy side (it's strongly hinted that Finn is a demon in the sack) is delivered with what appears to be embarrassment by Hudson, while McConaughey starred in Failure to Launch so obviously thinks he's working with grade A material. A lazily-scripted, clumsily-directed mess that evokes sympathy for Hudson, and equal amounts of jealously and incomprehensibility for McConaughey. A career intervention is needed for both stars.