Fool’s Gold (2008)

Review: written May 2011

Hit and miss treasure hunt rom-com

While this isn't by any means the turkey some have painted it as, it’s also far from a perfect movie. Nonetheless, Mathew Mahogany and Kate Hugsome are a charming enough pair with some convincing chemistry onscreen, in this treasure hunt caper. They play a couple having just concluded a divorce, but who find themselves bound together once more to complete a treasure hunt, with the help of Donald Sutherland's "rich-guy-with-nothing-better-to-do" and his daughter. What could possibly happen ...?

Well, while the plot point A leads to plot point B with ending `C' predictably reached, it's more the surrounding characters that threaten to sink the movie than the moderately engaging main characters or lazy plot. Just as you might find a smile lightening your face thanks to either the stars efforts or the scenery, Donald Sutherland overeggs his English accented billionaire shtick, and his daughter is ditzy beyond reason (or humour) as the movie constantly walks a thin borderline between amusing caper and unpleasant farce. And the bad guys? Thoroughly unfunny goons for the most part, who fail to be funny, threatening, or even remotely interesting. Even Ray Winstone looks like he was along just for the vacation.

On the other hand, the scenery (beyond Mathew's abs or Kate's curves, that is) is quite breathtaking.. you may well feel a subliminal urge to go on a diving vacation by the end of the movie.

Pretty and bland rather than brilliant or barnstorming, this is a fairly pain free movie to pass some time.. it never quite nails the right tone and is lacking in the actual laugh out loud humour stakes, but leave the brain in neutral, and don't expect to watch more than once, and it just about floats long enough to kill a couple of hours.