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Fool's Gold
Warner Bros. Pictures

Fool's Gold reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 29 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.4 out of 10
based on 29 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 41 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Ewen Bremner, Alexis Dziena, Kevin Hart, and Ray Winstone

Ben "Finn" Finnegan is an affable, modern-day treasure hunter who is obsessed with finding the legendary 18th century Queen's Dowry--40 chests of priceless treasure that was lost at sea in 1715. In his quest, Finn has sunk everything he has, including his marriage to Tess. Just as Tess has begun to rebuild her life, working aboard a mega-yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt, Finn discovers a vital clue to the treasure's whereabouts. Much to Tess' consternation, Finn maneuvers himself aboard Nigel's yacht and, using his roguish charm, convinces the tycoon and his celebutante daughter, Gemma, to join him in the pursuit of the Spanish riches. Even Tess can't resist the lure of finally uncovering the treasure that had eluded them for so long. But they are not the only ones after the prize. Finn's one-time mentor, Moe Fitch, and a ruthless local gangster named Bigg Bunny are intent on beating Finn to the trove. Let the treasure hunt begin. (Warner Bros.)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Adventure  |  Comedy  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: John Claflin
Daniel Zelman
Andy Tennant
 
DIRECTED BY: Andy Tennant  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: June 17, 2008 
Theatrical: February 8, 2008 
RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

67
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
Engaging though flimsy, lively though occasionally tone-deaf, it's a movie that thrives on the strength of its affable co-stars and a sense of adventure that provides just enough brio to get audiences through some energy-sapping rough spots.
Read Full Review
63
ReelViews James Berardinelli
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.
Read Full Review
58
The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Tennant keeps his extravagantly stupid new comedy breezing along affably on the strength of photogenic locales, obscenely beautiful stars, a laid-back soundtrack, and a wholesale unwillingness to take itself the least bit seriously.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Tribune Sid Smith
A movie that keeps reminding you of its antecedents, all the way back to 1984 and the comic adventure “Romancing the Stone.”
Read Full Review
50
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
The script is fatally stupid, most of the gags fall flat, the secondary characters add little, Hudson fails to make anything interesting out of the exasperated heroine, and the endless references to McConaughey's sexual prowess finally become revolting.
Read Full Review
50
The New York Times A.O. Scott
Will Finn and Tess find the treasure before the bad guys? Will they put aside their differences and rekindle their love? Yes to both questions! I haven’t spoiled anything, by the way. But perhaps I’ve saved you some trouble.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Just how long will it be before Matthew McConaughey finally fulfills his destiny by dropping out of Hollywood and opening a chain of nudist colonies? His heart clearly isn't in acting right now, so when it was time to make Fool's Gold, he asked his abs to do the job for him.
Read Full Review
50
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
Fool's Gold isn't so much a film as an opportunity to pay homage to Matthew McConaughey's impressive physique.
Read Full Review
42
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
The treasure hunt in Fool's Gold is, of course, meant to be about more than money. But the only reason for this movie to exist is to make money.
Read Full Review
40
The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
A soggy, listless affair, this would-be fun-in-the-sun sunken-treasure frivolity starts taking on water from the get-go, thanks to drawn-out exposition and languid pacing.
Read Full Review
40
Variety Brian Lowry
A listless romantic comedy that, almost out of desperation, turns a little more violent than necessary near the end.
Read Full Review
38
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Of COURSE it's bad. It was always going to be. But it's worse than necessary.
Read Full Review
38
TV Guide Ken Fox
We already knew Hudson and McConaughey weren't exactly Gable and Lombard from their first romantic pairing in "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days," but director Andy Tennant's complete lack of inventiveness comes as a surprise.
Read Full Review
38
USA Today Claudia Puig
The jewels in the buried treasure, once sighted, look fake. But the bigger problem is how artificial the whole story feels.
Read Full Review
38
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
No doubt conceived as an underwater version of "National Treasure," Andy Tennant's film plays like a Three Stooges movie with scuba gear.
Read Full Review
30
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Sorry deep-sea adventure.
Read Full Review
30
Washington Post John Anderson
Any more than two writers on a movie usually spells trouble. On the other hand, that two of the three scribes responsible for Fool's Gold have previously specialized in horror makes perfect sense.
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30
Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
Fool's Gold could easily have been released in 1977, and there's a sort of laid-back, timeless, Gerald Ford feel to the movie: the resolution is never in doubt, the villains are comedic rather than menacing, and no one involved seems to care one way or the other that their names are attached to this indifferent mess.
Read Full Review
30
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
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.
Read Full Review
30
Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
It's a big, cheesy, familiar bore. With its garland of set pieces featuring Matthew McConaughey in mortal danger strung together by beach-groovy musical hooks, Fool's Gold feels at times like a third-rate Bond movie set to a Jimmy Buffett album.
Read Full Review
25
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
A romantic comedy and an adventure story, but in this case that just means it bombs in two distinct ways.
Read Full Review
25
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
A tedious adventure-romance.
Read Full Review
25
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Kate Hudson is as blah and dazed as her costar is cloyingly enthused. If it's possible to have too even a tan, Hudson in Fool's Gold would be the poster child for it.
Read Full Review
25
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Excruciatingly lame and laughless romantic comedy.
Read Full Review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Fool's Gold starts flat and then deflates because of torpid pacing and flailing performances.
Read Full Review
20
Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
Fool’s Gold is the latest romantic comedy from Tennant, who is very possibly the worst director working in Hollywood today. "Fools Rush In." "Ever After." "Sweet Home Alabama." Hitch: I ask you, has anyone done more in the last 10 years to make love seem totally unappetizing?
Read Full Review
20
Empire Simon Braund
Absolute tosh. A ridiculous, unerringly tedious plot is weighed down by listless performances from a cast who clearly wished they were somewhere else, despite the sumptuous locations.
Read Full Review
0
Village Voice Scott Foundas
Fool's Gold is the sort of movie that makes you look more kindly upon the WGA strike. It isn't merely bad--it's so desperate that the actors can scarcely conceal their contempt for the material.
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0
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
It's early in the year, but I defy any 2008 comedy to be as stupid, slack and sexless as Fool's Gold. And I'm counting Paris Hilton's appalling "The Hottie and the Nottie," which is marginally better.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 4.4 (out of 10) based on 41 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Rick J. gave it a6:
Better than I expected. Funny, though it could have been better.

Dee O. gave it a2:
This movie sucked -- I hated it! I was hoping for the same chemistry that sizzled between MM & KH as in How to Lose a Guy, but was totally disappointed to find that their sizzled just simply fizzeled on my flat screen!

Jeremiah C gave it a6:
What is wrong with critics these days, they're so damn nit picky. Anyways this movie wasn't great and it was a little cheezy in some parts. However, the acting was great, the storyline was good, I think that this film was worth the $7 movie ticket and don't let the critics tell you otherwise. Let me name off 2 great movies that have been shot down by the critics, Kinky boots and the bucket list these were both really good films but the critics just shoot them down with their negative attitudes, They just need to lighten up. And I hope some of them see this comment

G Dog gave it a9:
Fun, funny, and exciting. Good rent!

Ari K gave it an8:
I dont know why the people gave this movie a 0 it was great funny and romantic if u like 50 first dates you will love this.

Jay H. gave it a6:
Harmless romantic comedy, predictable as well as entertaining. Hudson comes off best. It should have been much better, but cute and it has some funny scenes. It has adventure, romance, some action and comedy. You can't go too terribly wrong with that.

Steve O gave it a0:
whoever actually liked this movie belongs in a mental institution.

Read more user comments...

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