The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: COURTESY WORKING TITLE FILMS [Click to enlarge]

There is no denying that Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are beautiful, funny and exude sexual chemistry in their films.

After first pairing in the 2003 romantic comedy hit "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," Hudson launched a leading lady career and McConaughey continued his status as a Hollywood A-lister.

Though "Fool's Gold" lacks a little of the same spark and relationship witticisms as in "How to Lose a Guy," it's still an entertaining romantic adventure in a similar vein as 1984's "Romancing the Stone," which starred constant co-stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

Benjamin Finnegan (McConaughey) loves treasure-hunting. His wife, Tess (Hudson), loves the mysteries and adventures but still wants a stable life of finishing her degree and teaching history.

Unable to see eye-to-eye, Tess files for a divorce, leaving Ben with nothing. He also owes thousands of dollars to the successful gangster/rapper, Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart), who financed his last treasure-hunting scheme for the epic Queen's Dowery.

In a stroke of convenient screenwriting, Ben and Tess are thrown back together aboard the yacht of the multi-millionaire, Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland) and his socialite daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena).

Tess has been working as a stewardess there, and Ben "saved Gemma's life" (according to Gemma) by catching her runaway hat in the air. The four decide to go after the Queen's Dowery themselves and uncover the treasure.

McConaughey does little stretching here as a laidback, usually shirtless lover of the ocean wooing the women, and Hudson is enjoyably sarcastic as the girl who hates her ex-husband just as much as she still admires him.

But the Honeycutts steal most of the scenes away from the starring duo. Nigel is an affable and wealthy man wanting an adventure and Gemma is a spoiled airhead who muses, "Is the sea attached?" (Think a more likable Paris Hilton.)

Bigg Bunny, however, is not an intimidating or even creative villain as he screams the clichéd, "How many times do I have to kill you," to the wily Ben after one of his many near death escapes.

"Fool's Gold" takes a little while to get started, but once it establishes the confusing history of the sought-after fortune, it's a quick and pleasant ride. The story is not who gets the treasure or who gets the girl - it's how McConaughey gets there and how good he looks doing it.

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