Como locos... a por el oro

"Fools Gold" centers on an almost divorced, or newly divorced, or still madly-in-love couple (all 3 apply) searching for Spanish treasure that was sunk in a hurricane in 1715. Does the movie succeed as balmy escapism from the winter doldrums? Let's see…

Is there action?: Yes, the action was there, fun at parts, but broken up by a lot of talking that really didn't advance the plot, but worked well to confuse it (I mean a lot of talking). There was also the sound of crickets chirping that at some points was so loud it drowned out the dialogue. On purpose perhaps?

Did the actors have chemistry?: Yes, in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" they did. However, both Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson are likable enough off-screen and in other films that you want to root for them, despite the flaws of this film.

How 'bout the location?: I was never quite sure where the story was supposed to be set. The real 1715 fleet went down off the Eastern coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral. At one point in the movie they said they were in Key West, but I've been there enough times to know that those mountainous islands in the distance weren't anywhere near Duval Street. The movie "The Deep," which also involved treasure hunters searching for the 1715 treasure, also suffered from a lack of appreciation of history, setting the wreck in Bermuda. But who can complain when you have a salty Robert Shaw and Jacqueline Bisset in a wet T-shirt?

Funny?: The laughs were few and far between. Theo Huxtable from "The Cosby Show" was one of the baddies, and I think his pal in the film might have been Cockroach (no word on whether or not their knowledge of the 1715 treasure was based on "Cleland Notes"). I remember laughing at parts, and then waiting to laugh again, and I was still waiting when the lights came up and the usher rolled a trashcan in. I was still waiting when I got in my car. I'm still waiting.

All bad?: What the movie does well is gets you out of the cold for a couple hours. There were picturesque vistas of the tropics, girls in bikinis, palm trees blowing in the breeze, and Bob Marley music in the background. You may fool yourself for a moment into believing that you're actually in the Caribbean, if you sneak in a Pina Colada or two, or three.

Post Script: If you want to read a real thrilling, funny, and sexy adventure story about treasure hunting for the 1715 fleet, try reading Tom Ryan's novel "A Sword for Pizarro."

My expectations for this movie were very low going in, and I would say that the movie met them. I expected a fun, exotic, exciting adventure, which the movie delivered upon. It is a fairly predictable movie, but always fun to watch Mathew McConaughey play the guy who hasn't grown up along with Kate Hudson playing the lady who wishes he would. Their chemistry is great, and isn't that all you really expect from a movie like this, regardless of plot?

The only thing that didn't fit in the movie was a couple of overly bloody scenes (on an absolute basis the blood was very minor, but the fact that they showed up at all was surprising.)

Not the best movie you will ever see, but will certainly give you a break from all this extreme winter weather we have been having.

Fools Gold is exactly how you would expect it to be. We have all heard the story before in SAHARA and dare I say it, Into the Blue, although this movie is obviously a comedy/adventure.

As for the story's strength and the actors performances, again, it's exactly what you would expect. McConaughey, Hudson and the other supporting characters deliver more than adequate performances and Donald Sutherland is as brilliant as he can be considering the overall quality of this movie.

Last but not least, pay attention to the accents, It seems like everybody has a fake (funny fake) accent. I'm not sure why they chose to fake the accents when everybody does a terrible job, but hey.. I guess it makes the movie even more entertaining.

Definitely watchable

My 11 year old daughter and I, big fans of "How to Lose a Guy..." went to see this last night because there really was not another movie we could agree on. I was reluctant based on the HORRIBLE reviews this movie received, which I now believe were completely undeserved.

I'm as big a movie snob as anyone. Yes, I saw "La Vie En Rose" in the theater the week it came out. I love the Coen Brothers and anything written by Charlie Kaufman. I'm no stranger to so-called "good" films.

But guys - if you're looking for high-brow, why oh why would you expect it from Kate and Matthew. I mean, have you BEEN to a movie in last ten years? She is Goldie Hawn's daughter. I mean, duh! We were very pleasantly surprised by this movie. The scenery and cinema photography were beautiful. I agree completely with another commenter's statement that it was a great cure for SAD. This movie was fun, and sweet, and everything you'd expect from this cast.

Go see this and have fun!

I found this film "cute" and "silly". Don't go to it and expect the best film of the year, but rather something fun to watch during a date. I went and saw this last night with a friend who did not want to see it...at all. In the end he said he did enjoy it after all.

There is a little bit of a "Dupree" feeling towards the character Finn who is irresponsible and far from mature. His character is charming in a goofy way. He seems to mess everything up, but somehow in the end it all work out.

I did not care too much for the character Gemma, but nonetheless I laughed at her idiotic comments because I have met people as naive as her. She's basically a miniature Paris Hilton at sea who knows nothing about the sea.

I wouldn't describe this movie as thrilling, but it was entertaining. The comedy is shallow here and there. However, there are some incidents that will make you laugh and laugh. If you want to see a light hearted film that'll make you smile and giggle then I'd recommend seeing this.