This film is an appropriately named romantic comedy that reunites Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey from 2003’s “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. In that movie, writer Kate was dating businessman Matthew strictly for journalistic reasons (an article on how to dump a guy). He, however, is dating her for his own purposes (a bet). Both of them spend their time trying to drive the other away.
In “Fool’s Gold”, Tess (Kate) and Finn (Matthew) are a married couple who have already driven each other away: they’re divorcing. She’s become disillusioned with his freewheeling lifestyle as a treasure hunter. She’s also tired of being poor. Nonetheless, he still loves and wants her but not enough to not sink their boat (you have to see the movie as to why). The boat was Tess’s part of the divorce settlement. She planned to sell it and use the proceeds for school tuition. Now that plan is sunk.
But instead of heading for dry land and staying there, Tess gets a job working as a steward on a yacht owned by the super-wealthy Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland). Meantime, Finn is on the hunt for a Spanish galleon, which went down in the Bahamas, carrying the queen’s dowry. Unfortunately, he runs afoul of his investor, a rapper(!) who wants Finn to literally “sleep with the fishes”. Fortunately for Finn, the rapper’s henchman are too inept to accomplish the nefarious deed though they keep trying.
Finn obviously needs another investor to pursue the sunken treasure. He manages to finagle his way onto the Honeycutt yacht by retrieving a sunhat lost by Nigel’s teenaged daughter. And much to Tess’s dismay, he also manages to secure Nigel’s interest in pursuing the treasure. Meantime, Finn’s previous “investor” has hired an old friend and mentor of the battling couple to locate the lost galleon. And the chase is on.
With its tropical setting, there’s plenty of skin on display – mostly supplied by a buff McConaughey and the bikini-clad bimbette Gemma Honeycutt (Alexis Dziena). Both she and Finn seem better matched body and brain-wise than he and Tess, the student who met and married him while on spring break. (See what happens when you get too much sun and guzzle down too much booze?)
Fans of Hudson and McConaughey may enjoy this soggy story but there’s really nothing here you haven’t seen before. The scenery is gorgeous though and the movie is kind of fun, as long as you don’t think too much about it. If you have to think, consider Fool’s Gold a cheap trip to the Bahamas. And don’t forget the pitcher of pina colada. You’ll enjoy the movie more that way.