Fool’s Gold came out in February 2008 and did fairly well, earning around 70 million domestically. The movie is a reunion for Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson who last starred together in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days several years prior. That movie was a smash hit and opened in February of 2003. Fool’s Gold is a romantic adventure where the soon to be divorced couple find a clue that leads them on a treasure hunt. Could this adventure help rekindle the couples romance? Fool’s Gold also stars Donald Sutherland, Kevin Hart, Alexis Dziena, Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Brian Hooks.

I enjoyed Fool’s Gold. It was a fun adventure. Lately, it feels like I have been saying the same thing when writing reviews for romantic comedies. Recently I had watched Failure to Launch which also starred Matthew McConaughey. I also did see How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days years ago as well. I have liked all these movies. The romantic comedy genre is fairly the same formula. That is not a bad thing. Fool’s Gold and Failure to Launch are similar and different. Matthew McConaughey does seem to play a similar type of character in these movies. He always seems to have the chill surfer dude vibe particularly in this movie as well as Failure to Launch. Both films had settings near water whereas How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was set in the city. I don’t recall many water scenes if any in that movie. If Fool’s Gold was not great, I would say so. The big difference between Failure to Launch and Fool’s Gold is that Fool’s Gold is an adventure romantic comedy. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson go on a treasure hunt. A plot that is similar to the more recent romantic comedy The Lost City that came out last year, 2022 and starred Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. It is just the treasure theme that is the common denominator in both films. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson have good chemistry as proven with their last film they did together. They are also proven stars of the genre. When Fool’s Gold came out, it opened two years after Failure to Launch. Besides How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Matthew McConaughey also starred in The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez which came out two years before How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Both actors did a solid job in their roles. Matthew McConaughey really has the surfer dude vibe down pat. Kate Hudson is good as the serious one in the relationship. The rest of the cast once again does a solid job in their respective roles.

Spoiler Alert if you have not seen the movie and want to be surprised.

One surprise for me was seeing Kevin Hart as the bad guy in the movie. I have not seen a project with Kevin Hart as the villain. This film came out before Kevin Hart blew up as a major star. The movies I have seen him in, he typically was the funny supporting character. This was the most serious I have seen Kevin Hart out of projects I have seen him in. I am aware he has done other things but I have not seen those specific projects. I am referring to The Upside that came out a few years ago and the Netflix movie Fatherhood that came out two years ago. Even in the films I have seen Kevin Hart in, I knew he had range. A lot of the big comedy stars usually do have range even when they are in their bread and butter of being in a comedy. I thought Kevin Hart did a good job as the villain. His character wants the treasure for himself, and he is a famous rapper who Matthew McConaughey’s character owes money to. Malcolm Jamal-Warner plays one of Kevin Hart’s henchmen. Malcolm Jamal-Warner is most famous for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show. I am used to seeing him as Dr. AJ Austen on the medical show The Resident. It was nice to see a different side to Malcolm Jamal-Warner even if the role itself was not substantial.

Fool’s Gold seemed to have a little depth with some of the characters. I am actually not referring to the stars. There are some nice story moments for Donald Sutherland and Alexis Dziena who play father and daughter. Given it’s a romantic comedy and they are not the stars, there is not much but there are a few nice moments that add a little bit of depth to the characters and their relationship.

Fool’s Gold is another fun romantic treasure hunt movie with likeable leads. It also has a nice bright setting which keeps things nice and light. Since it is an adventure movie it is a little more violent than most romantic comedies, mostly because romantic comedies don’t usually have violence in them other than a slap here or there. This makes sense there would be some in this movie given it has a villain who wants the treasure and will do whatever it takes to get it. The movie did feel slightly long but not by much. It clocks in around 112 minutes. Some of the other movies clocked in at the usual 90-100 minutes. It probably could have shed a few minutes but other than that, it was a fun adventure. I would not mind seeing another team up between Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.