Follow @screenit

"FOOL'S GOLD" (2008) (Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Mild Extreme *Mild Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None Heavy None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action: A recently divorced couple reunites in their quest for a long lost shipwreck treasure that they've been trying to find for the past decade. PLOT: Ben 'Finn' Finnegan (MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY) is a treasure hunter whose obsession with finding an early 18th century shipwreck off an island near Florida has led to the dissolution of his marriage to Tess (KATE HUDSON). She once shared his desire to locate the long lost treasure, but has had enough and wants to go back to academia, and thus goes through with the divorce proceedings to which, naturally, he's late. He has good reason, however, as some local thugs, Cordell (MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER) and Curtis (BRIAN HOOKS), who work for rapper/gangster Bigg Bunny (KEVIN HART), tried to send him to the sea floor attached to an anchor. It seems Finn owes Bigg Bunny a lot of money, and the fact that the treasure hunter and his diving partner, Alfonz (EWEN BREMNER), have possibly found the shipwreck means they want him out of the picture. In the meantime, Tess has taken a job as the steward on a huge yacht owned by mega-millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (DONALD SUTHERLAND) who's dismayed that his airhead, party-hearty daughter, Gemma (ALEXIS DZIENA), is on the cover of various gossip magazines. When Finn ends up saving Gemma's hat out at sea, he draws the Honeycutt clan into his quest, much to the initial dismay of Tess who isn't happy to see him. That sentiment is shared by salvage diver Moe Fitch (RAY WINSTONE), Finn's former mentor and business partner who's been hired by Bigg Bunny to find the wreck. With Tess now back on board, Finn and his impromptu team do what they can to beat the others to that, all while having to deal with Bigg Bunny and his newest and far more dangerous henchman, Cyrus (DAVID ROBERTS). WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or romantic-comedy related action/adventure pics, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY plays a treasure hunter, usually seen shirtless, whose obsession for finding sunken booty has led to Tess divorcing him (although he doesn't want that). He drinks some, uses some profanity, risks life and limb to find a treasure, and has sex with Tess in an old church after they're divorced. KATE HUDSON plays his ex-wife who's just divorced him over him never being around for her. Yet, the lure of the treasure eventually has her working with him again. She drinks some, uses some profanity, and has sex with him in a church. DONALD SUTHERLAND plays a very wealthy man who's vacationing on his yacht when he gets caught up in Finn and Tess' treasure hunting (he's her current employer). He drinks some and loves but is a bit dismayed by his airhead, socialite daughter. ALEXIS DZIENA plays his somewhat dopey, young adult daughter who's known for her socializing and partying, but ends up helping Finn and Tess find their treasure. EWEN BREMNER plays Finn's business partner who lecherously likes Gemma and asks Nigel if he has any prostitutes. He drinks some. RAY WINSTONE plays Finn's former mentor and business partner, but current rival, who ends up hired by Bigg Bunny to find the treasure. He fights with some people and uses some profanity. KEVIN HART plays a notorious rapper/thug who owns the island where Finn is hunting for the treasure. With Finn owing him money, he blackmails him into finding that treasure for him, drinks, tries to kill people, and is generally a bad guy. MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER and BRIAN HOOKS play his two henchmen who do his dirty work for him, including roughing up Finn. DAVID ROBERTS plays his newest and more ruthless henchman who attempts and succeeds at killing others. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this action/adventure pic that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 19 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered, as is sexually related dialogue. Several sexual encounters are partially seen, while women flash their bare breasts at a man, and we later see his bare butt (in the dark, from a distance) in a different scene. Various buff bodies (male and female) are seen in skimpy swimsuits and such. Violence includes murder and attempted murder, while some people are killed or wounded while fighting, some property damage occurs, and the main character is repeatedly knocked unconscious by various means. Some of that has bloody results and such footage and some moments of peril might be suspenseful or unsettling for some viewers, but it's all played fairly lightly and for action/adventure rather than graphic realism. Some of that and other behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Characters drink, one briefly smokes, and some tense family material is present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Curtis and Cordell drink beer. A magazine cover shows a photo of Gemma holding a drink. Bigg Bunny holds a drink. A guy in a boat throws a beer to Finn who's parched after being in the water for a long time. Alfonz has a beer in a bar (where we see liquor bottles in the background) and then is joined by Finn who has one as well. Finn then walks outdoors with that beer bottle while watching Gemma's plane fly in. Nigel and Gemma have champagne, and Nigel later has the same while Finn has a drink. When there's talk of a person dying long ago of consumption (tuberculosis), Gemma thinks that means he died from drinking. Nigel, Gemma, Finn, Tess and Alfonz have wine with dinner. Tess has a beer. Nigel has a drink and asks Gemma about one, but she already holds one. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar where Finn, Tess, Nigel, Gemma, and Alfonz have drinks. We see a store sign for Bigg Bunny's rum. BLOOD/GORE Finn has some blood on his face following a fight with thugs. Bigg Bunny grabs Tess by the hair and pulls her onto his sea plane, kicking Moe back into the water. Tess then repeatedly hits Bigg Bunny on the head with something, bloodying him, followed by him punching her unconscious. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Bigg Bunny and his henchmen obviously have bad attitudes. Finn "borrows" a dinghy to go out toward Nigel's yacht. There's talk that Bigg Bunny murdered others in the past. Finn and Tess have sex in a church basement at night. Finn uses the term "midget" (not about anyone in particular). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material (but most are played lightly, rather than for realism). Cyrus and Cordell force Tess to go down into a seaside "blowhole" (a cave where water rushes in and forces water out the top, meaning it's a dangerous place for her to be). The latter is especially true when Cyrus throws her rope -- and only apparent means of escape -- down into the cave water with her, and where she spots crabs crawling all over the cave wall. Cyrus pulls Tess -- via a rope -- under the water in a seaside cave and pulls a large knife on her. Finn then grabs him from behind, however, and the two struggle, with Tess grabbing the knife and stabbing Cyrus in or near his crotch. Cyrus is then blown up through the cave's topside "blow hole" and the water with him is bloody. Gemma drives Finn up alongside Bigg Bunny's taxying sea plane on a jet ski, and Finn jumps onto one of its pontoon landing rungs (with Gemma wiping out on her jet ski). The plane takes off with Finn holding on, and Bigg Bunny then leans out and repeatedly fires at Finn, barely missing him. Tess then kicks Bigg Bunny from the plane, with him firing several shots as he falls (and presumably dies in the water far below), hitting the plane's fuel tank. Finn climbs in and he and Tess briefly fly the plane, but end up crashing it while trying to land. The plane breaks apart and sinks, but the two are okay. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotgun/Sword/Spear gun/Knife/: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Finn finds an old cannon on an underwater shipwreck. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Heavy ass piece of sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "That was some funny sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Little sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "I'm handling this sh*t," "You disloyal, Ukrainian pr*ck," "What the hell /was that/do you know about.../are you doing here?" "Get in the damn boat," "Bloody," "Get his embezzling ass off my island," "Bastard," "Dude," "Your uselessness is epic," "What in God's name happened?" "Ah, you son of a bitch," "You're the man," "Who the hell are you?" "Shove it up your ass," "We are screwed," "Barreling up your ass like a freight train," "Whatever the hell I'm saying," "Midget," "You little son of a bitch," "Balls" (testicles), "Big ass," "What a sissy" and "You big butch bastard." Some of the action and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Finn has tattoos, as does Moe (who has many). Some young women flash their breasts at Finn. Finn purposefully turns a boat sharply to dump the four others there overboard (so that he can borrow the boat and race to his divorce proceedings, and after they've rescued him at sea). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, heavily dramatic, and action-oriented music plays on the soundtrack. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 19 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 8 hells, 5 asses, 4 damns, 3 S.O.B.s, 1 crap, 17 uses of "Oh my God," 6 of "Oh God," 3 each of "G-damn" and "God," 2 of "My God" and 1 use each of "Jesus," "Oh good God" and "Swear to God." SEX/NUDITY There's onscreen text about a past royal figure's eagerness to consummate his marriage. We see Cordell with his shirt open. A photo of Tess shows a little cleavage. On many occasions, we see Finn shirtless (looking quite buff and often glistening). Two young couples show up in a boat. The men are shirtless, while the women are in bikinis, and when they spot Finn in the water, they flash their breasts at him (and we see everything, albeit only briefly). Tess shows a little cleavage. Tess' female attorney sarcastically tells Tess that the latter married Finn for the sex and then expected him to be smart. About being married to Finn, Tess says that the sex was really, really great. Tess says that Finn is only good at three things: Finding treasure and getting money to do the first, but doesn't mention the third (which is presumably sex based on earlier talk). We see Gemma in a bikini top. Tess says that Moe taught Finn everything he knows, prompting Finn to shoot her a look, followed by Tess saying, "Almost" (presumably referring to sex). Finn and Tess discuss their past with Nigel and Gemma, and Finn mentions he should tell them why they were excited on their honeymoon. Nigel drolly says they can guess (but Finn meant their research and not sex). However, when Gemma can't believe they spent their honeymoon in a library, we see a flashback that shows very limited and only partial views of some sort of sexual activity occurring behind an open book that's in the foreground of the shot (and thus blocks most of the view of what's occurring behind it). When there's talk of a person dying long ago of consumption (tuberculosis), Gemma thinks that means he died from drinking. Finn then tries to make her feel better by saying he used to think it meant they died from sex (as in "consummate"). Gemma wears a somewhat revealing swimsuit. We see Gemma in a small bikini. We see that the name of Finn's now sunken boat was "Booty Calls." An underwater explosion knocks Finn out of the water, and the sword he was holding flies through the air and lands between Gemma's spread legs (in her bikini bottom). This is after Tess used Gemma (in that tiny bikini) as a distraction for the men on Moe's boat. We see some miscellaneous, shirtless men. A gay male cook comments on the sheer power of Finn's raw sexuality. After Nigel says they have cigars onboard the yacht, Alfonz asks about prostitutes. When Nigel says they don't have any, Alfonz says maybe they can call some. Thinking he's alone at the back of the yacht near the water at night, Finn drops his shorts, but is then surprised by Tess. He grabs a towel to cover himself, but we see a partial bare butt view from a distance (and in the partial dark). He then gets up and dries himself off, apparently fully nude in front of Tess, but we don't see anything explicit. We see Tess in a bikini, and Gemma in a bikini top. Tess jumps up on Finn in the basement of an old church at night, wrapping her legs around his waist while he holds her clothed butt. The two passionately kiss, knock things over, and he then lies down on top of her (both still clothed), but something in the foreground of the shot blocks our view of what happens. Later, she's concerned that they had sex in a church without being married (since they're now divorced). Finn and Tess passionately kiss on a plane and then in the sea after they crash there. Tess shows some cleavage in a dress. SMOKING We briefly see Moe smoking a cigar. Nigel says they have cigars onboard the yacht, but no one has one. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Nigel talks on the phone with his ex-wife about their daughter being a socialite. We hear that Tess is divorcing Finn for him not being attentive enough due to his treasure hunting obsession. He doesn't want that to happen, but is delayed getting to the proceeding and thus the divorce automatically happens. Nigel reads Gemma's text or email message to a friend where she states she's stuck on the boat for two weeks with her dad, followed by "Kill me now." Gemma is mad at Nigel after he makes a comment comparing her and her spending of his money to her mother (Nigel's ex-wife). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Treasure hunters and shipwrecks. Being so obsessed with something that you let personal relationships falter. Divorce. The two male chefs/cooks on Nigel's yacht are portrayed as gay lovers, but nothing sexual ever occurs between them. VIOLENCE A piece of paper catches on fire, floats around Finn's boat, and creates a bigger fire. That results in an explosion that sinks the boat (no one is harmed). As Finn and Alfonz struggle in the water, a thug fires a warning shot with a handgun into the water near them. A thug hits Finn over the head, knocking him out. Curtis holds a gun on Finn while Cordell shackles his feet to an anchor as they prepare to throw him overboard at sea. Finn knocks the gun aside and then struggles with both men, including punching Curtis and hitting Cordell with a large box. He ends up in the water, but shoots Cordell through the foot and Curtis along the side of his head/ear. They then throttle up the boat and Finn tries to hold on, but the anchor weighs him down, and he lets go and sinks to the bottom. There, he picks up the anchor and hops over to the gun, using it to shoot the chain around his feet, thus freeing him (this is all played rather lightly). Finn purposefully turns a boat sharply to dump the four others there overboard (so that he can borrow the boat and race to his divorce proceedings). Tess uses a borrowed cane to hit Finn on the head, knocking him unconscious. Gemma's ship pilot doesn't see Finn in a small dinghy in front of him, and thus runs over the small craft (barely missing Finn). Tess ends up throwing dinner plates down onto a table (where they break) upon being shocked and upset that Finn is on Nigel's yacht. We see Finn racing to disconnect various underwater explosives set on the sea floor. One goes off and knocks Finn back, while another knocks him up out of the water where he then lands on Moe's boat. Moe punches Finn in the face, knocking him out. Finn holds an old sword on Curtis' neck, but the latter squirts something into Finn's face, freeing Curtis. The two then struggle, with Finn hitting Curtis on the head with a frying pan. He then opens double doors that knock Cordell to the floor where Finn then hops on him and holds his sword to his throat. When the latter realizes it's dull, he knocks Finn off him and pulls his gun. Cyrus then shows up and hits Finn over the head, knocking him out. Cyrus then shoots Curtis, seemingly kill him (no blood). Cyrus fires a warning shot into the air. Tess trips over a stone and falls to the ground, but is okay. Cyrus and Cordell hold guns on Finn and Tess. Finn knocks one gun aside and struggles with Cyrus, with the latter's gun firing and knocking out a moped's headlight. Tess and Cordell struggle, with her trying to hit him and Cyrus with a shovel. She finally hits Cyrus with it, and then Bigg Bunny in the crotch in passing as she and Finn escape on the moped. She's clotheslined, however, by a tree branch, while Finn ends up driving off a cliff, falling into the water far below while the moped hits some rocks and explodes. Cyrus then grabs Tess by the hair while abducting her. Tess repeatedly hits Cordell, but he then holds his gun to her head. Cyrus and Cordell aim their handguns at each other. Bigg Bunny repeatedly fires a handgun from a sea plane at Finn who's on the rocky shore. Cyrus pulls Tess -- via a rope -- under the water in a seaside cave and pulls a large knife on her. Finn then grabs him from behind, however, and the two struggle, with Tess grabbing the knife and stabbing Cyrus in or near his crotch. Cyrus is then blown up through the cave's topside "blow hole" and the water with him is bloody. From his sea plane, Bigg Bunny fires his handgun at a boat, with Moe returning fire with a shotgun, and Bigg Bunny firing back with the handgun. Underwater, Cordell fires a spear through Moe's leg, with the latter then pulling the thug toward him with the attached rope. Finn then punches Cordell and there's struggling and the presumed drowning of the latter. Bigg Bunny grabs Tess by the hair and pulls her onto his sea plane, kicking Moe back into the water. Tess then repeatedly hits Bigg Bunny on the head with something, bloodying him, followed by him punching her unconscious. Gemma drives Finn up alongside Bigg Bunny's taxying sea plane on a jet ski, and Finn jumps onto one of its pontoon landing rungs (with Gemma wiping out on her jet ski). The plane takes off with Finn holding on, and Bigg Bunny then leans out and repeatedly fires at Finn, barely missing him. Tess then kicks Bigg Bunny from the plane, with him firing several shots as he falls (and presumably dies in the water far below), hitting the plane's fuel tank. Finn climbs in and he and Tess briefly fly the plane, but end up crashing it while trying to land. The plane breaks apart and sinks, but the two are okay. Reviewed February 6, 2008 / Posted February 8, 2008

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.