McConaughey, Hudson strike 'Gold' together

(B-) Thankfully, Fool's Gold doesn't live down to its name. 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.

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson - whose last movie together, 2003's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, brought in more than $100 million at the domestic box office - once again get to play mismatched partners. He's deep-sea treasure hunter Ben Finnegan (Finn to his friends), one of those irrepressible free spirits that McConaughey can play in his sleep (and frequently does). She's his soon-to-be ex-wife, Tess, who's far more intelligent and levelheaded and fed up with his irresponsible shenanigans.

Finn even arrives late for his divorce hearing after a run-in with a cash-crazed rapper and his hired thugs. Given the circumstances, it's impressive that he makes the hearing at all. But Finn never gets to talk her out of the divorce, and the two are free to go their separate ways.

Only Finn doesn't want to be separate at all and entices Tess back (or at least gets her to put off leaving for good) with the news that he's found the sunken treasure they had spent years tracking down. Problems are that he's still being pursued by those thugs and his former boss is just a step behind him in the treasure hunt. Good sense tells Tess she should steer clear of this mess, yet there's something about the twinkle in Finn's eye she can't resist.

And, of course, there's the gold.

The film opens with a great sight gag, as Finn and his wacky Ukrainian partner, Alfonz (Ewan Bremmer), are scrounging the Florida sea bottom for gold left by a Spanish ship some 400 years ago. The gag involves their boat, and to say more would ruin it. But it's well-timed and genuinely funny; the only thing wrong is that it sets a standard that the movie never quite reaches again.

But McConaughey and Hudson have a lot of fun working together, with results that are a lot less grating here than in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, where their screwball chemistry just seemed too forced. In a scene where Finn and Tess carefully explain how they have been searching for the treasure, and why they're so certain they've found it, McConaughey and Hudson play off each other effortlessly, their characters finishing each other's sentences and reveling in each other's cleverness. It's the type of movie chemistry that can only be captured, not scripted.

There's also a subplot, involving the maturing relationship between a rich millionaire (Donald Sutherland) and his vacuous hottie of a daughter (Alexis Dziena), that adds a little emotional heft to the movie and gives a largely unknown actress the chance to steal just about every scene she's in.

At times, Fool's Gold strays into territory that's way too dark for a romantic comedy. And there's some regrettable stereotyping, with black characters as thugs and gay characters providing easy comic relief.

Still, screen couplings that work are things to be treasured. In that sense, Fool's Gold is as close to the real thing as we've come in a while.

>>>Fool's Gold (Warner Bros.) Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson. Directed by Andy Tennant. Rated PG-13. Time 112 minutes.

chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.com

Related topic galleries: Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Metal and Mineral, Matthew McConaughey, Gold and Precious Material

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