[yasr_overall_rating]
Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on a journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.
Picture it, the comely Matthew McConaughey with a greasy, receded hairline, a paunch belly, yellowed teeth, and no concept of skin care. His look for the movie “Gold” was not the affable Matthew we all know and love, but a crass, appalling version of our man. Bryce Dallas Howard is superb as Kay, the love of Kenny Wells’ life. Edgar Ramirez is visually stunning in his portrayal of a quiet man with a purpose. Beyond the mess that is the appearance of McConaughey, the film is seamless in the delivery of one man’s search for gold based on true events.
In 1981, Kenny Wells works for his father’s mining company until his father’s untimely passing. Before long, he runs the company into the ground before pulling his friends and love interest to the local bar to run his business from a vinyl booth. Passed out in another drunken stupor, Kenny dreams of a lush forest filled with gold. He wakes up, puts on his cheap suit, and flies to Indonesia. Remembering a contact in the business, Kenny seeks out the impenetrable Michael Acosta to find his buried treasure. Before they can dig, they must find a crew, which of course requires lots of zeros.
With almost three hundred thousand lined up, the mining begins. Early in, Kenny contracts malaria and leaves the day-to-day operations to Michael as he fights for his life. When he wakes from his malaria-induced coma, Michael breaks the good news: they struck gold. Now the money and the people start flowing in a steady stream. With a cigarette dangling from his lips and a stiff drink in his hand, Kenny fights to keep his rightful share of the profits despite several banks and wealthy people lining up to sink their teeth into the minefield of cash.
With strategic partners from New York in place, Kenny brings his finds to the stock market as his success is lamented by the media. His long time love interest, Kay, cannot handle the changes in lifestyle and takes her leave. Turning down a large sum to entertain his lofty ego, Kenny finds the money leaving his grasps and his old life rearing its ugly head. He turns to his favorite drink for solace before Michael shows up to encourage a return to hope. By befriending the son of a wealthy Indonesian man, the two men find themselves back in business. Kenny receives the prestigious Prospectors Award highlighting the biggest gold landmine of the decade. Trouble is quick to follow as Kenny finds out Michael is not quite the partner he claims to be. The money disappears, and the FBI starts pounding on the door leaving Kenny’s life a bigger mess than when he started.
This movie is hilarious; not in words as much as in reactions and interactions between Kenny and his co-stars. McConaughey manages to take a greasy snake of a man and create a credible character, beautiful in his flaws and crass behavior. Most of his friends serve as undertones, magnifying Wells’ egotistical mannerisms. Some areas were over the top including the reason for the R rating, which was unnecessary and unenjoyable, despite the laughter it warranted. Tighty whities are not the main character’s friend. Even so, the laughs keep the two-hour movie rolling enjoyably. The film did feel a bit like riding a roller coaster for the third time in the same day.
I felt a deep desire to drag the protagonist to an AA meeting after stopping off at the store for some nicotine patches and gum. Matthew was as hideous as Edgar was beautiful; almost as laughable as Devito and Schwarzenegger in the film “Twins.” The difference was not limited to appearance but amplified in the differences in personality, as crass managed to find chemistry with stoic. Although McConaughey manages to create chemistry with pretty much anyone on screen, the talent should not go unnoticed. The radical make-under of McConaughey is worth the watch of this film. The plot moves and keeps even short attention spans. Every aspect of a good movie is present, but something is missing in the telling, leaving off a couple of stars. Check out the movie this Friday in a theater near you.
In theaters Friday, January 27th
