Creative quotient
Fool’s Gold is a romantic comedy set amidst a treasure hunt. It follows the story of a drifting married couple who come together to unearth a magnanimous treasure. Benjamin Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey) is a desperate treasure seeker and a complete contrast to his wife Tess Finnegan (Kate Hudson) who is down-to-earth and in search of facts and history. Although, their marriage is on the rocks, the two are brought together by their passion for adventure and discovery.
Benjamin is on the verge of bankruptcy, about to lose his wife in his relentless pursuit of the Queen’s Dowry, an ancient Spanish treasure. Just when Tess is ready to take him through divorce Benjamin discovers a piece of the sunken treasure. In attempt to rope in a worthwhile boat and financer for the adventure trip, Ben convinces a billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), who is Tess’ boss.
What follows is an action-packed fun trip to locate a treasure far bigger than a gold mine. Fool’s Gold is worth the admission price when it comes to the number of action sequences and stunts choreographed in a comic manner.

Technical expertise
The film’s technical appeal and brilliance is a lot less lustrous than its comic endeavours. The film tries to do a little too much with a single story. On one hand the film takes you through the candyfloss moments and charisma of a renewed romance between two opposite persons while on the other hand, it puts you in a rollercoaster ride of boat jumps, explosions, underwater action and the works. To top all that, most of the stunts and action end up in a spoof. It literally like romance meets action meets comedy.
Given all three are essential in an adventure film, but the formula works with a necessary balance. An Indiana Jones film can very easily turn out to be a King Solomon’s Mines (1985) if the filmmaker packs in a little too much.
The acting by most of the cast is decent as McConaughey and Hudson do average jobs with their cheesy roles and dialogues. Donald Sutherland and Ray Winstone are severly underused as actors and characters. But beyond all the critical condemnation, Fool’s Gold is a fun film. Pity it’s not a piece of intelligent cinema, although it had the potential to be so.

Verdict
The film is worth two stars. One for its fun quotient as the audience cannot help but smile through the entire film. The second star for the cast’s average performances that actually hold the whole plot together. Fool’s Gold is worth a single watch.