Critics Consensus: Gold is a Fool’s Paradise, Roscoe is Not Welcome

This week
at the movies, we’ve got treasure hunters (Fool’s Gold, starring
Matthew McConaughey and
Kate Hudson), awkward reunions (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,
starring Martin Lawrence and
Mo’Nique), and a stand-up road trips (Vince
Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show). What do the critics have to say?

They say
all that glitters ain’t gold — and critics say
Fool’s Gold
gives off almost no shine whatsoever. The movie stars
Matthew McConaughey and
Kate Hudson
as a divorced couple who reunite to hunt for sunken treasure; danger and wacky
antics ensue. The pundits say Fool’s Gold is aptly titled, with a
ludicrous plot, non-existent chemistry between the leads, wildly inconsistent
tonal shifts, and a sense of “been there, done that” throughout. At seven
percent on the Tomatometer, Fool’s Gold is the cinematic equivalent of
pyrite — or perhaps pumice. And it’s definitely a step down from the stars’
previous collaboration,
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, at 42 percent.
(Check out RT’s examination of notable treasure hunt movies here.)

"The Allman Brothers are playing in Providence this week,
Philly next week, D.C. the week after that.."

As
Morrissey once said, we hate it when our friends become successful.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is about a successful guy who’s hated by his family —
and though critics say it has its moments, it doesn’t totally cohere.
Martin Lawrence stars as the titular character, an obnoxious self-help guru who returns
home for his parents’ golden anniversary — and finds that his family is eager to
cut him down to size. The pundits say Roscoe Jenkins has its share of
flaws, not least of which is an over-reliance on weather-beaten slapstick. But
others note the movie features spirited work from a skilled supporting cast, and
some surprising humanity beneath the crass jokes. At 50 percent on the
Tomatomter, this one’s getting a lukewarm Welcome.

Vince Vaughn’s
Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland has a title
that makes Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in
the Hood seem like a paragon of restraint. And critics say it’s indicative
of a documentary that doesn’t quite know when to quit. The movie follows the
amiable Vaughn and a group of up-and-coming comedians on a month-long, 6,000
mile tour across America. The pundits say when the film focuses on the stage
show, it’s a blast. However, they also say there are few too many diversions and
backstage banter on this trip. At 52 percent on the Tomatometer, this one’s a
little too much West and not enough Wild.

Also
opening this week in limited release:

• 
  The
  Band’s Visit, a slice-of-life comedy about a band from Egypt that
  gets lost in Israel, is Certified Fresh at 100 percent.

• 
  A Walk
  to Beautiful, about a group of Ethiopian women who have suffered
  childbirth injuries and social ostracizing, is at 100 percent.

• The dark
  Brit crime flick
  London to Brighton,
  about a pair of young women on the run from some sleazy underworld figures, is
  at 75 percent.

• The
  dramedy In Bruges, about a pair of hit men decamping in Belgium after a
  botched job, starring
  Colin Farrell and
  Ralph Fiennes,
  is at 66 percent.

• 
  The
  Hottie and the Nottie, starring the incomparable
  Paris Hilton
  as a woman who demands that a suitor find a date for her unattractive friend
  before he can date her, is at nine percent.

• And the
  indie caper drama
  How to Rob a Bank, starring
  Nick Stahl and
  Erika Christiensen, is at zero percent.

Finally,
it’s time for props distribution:
livewire24 and
BladeoftheImmortal came the
closest to guessing The Eye‘s 19 percent Tomatometer, and
bluestar2000
came the closest to guessing
Strange Wilderness‘ zero percent
Tomatometer.

Recent
Kate Hudson Movies:
———————————–
22% — You Me and Dupree (2006)
39% — The Skeleton Key (2005)
22% — Raising Helen (2004)
42% —
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
11% — Alex and Emma (2003)

Recent
Martin Lawrence Movies:
—————————————-
15% — Wild Hogs (2007)
5% — Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
48% — Open Season (2006)
13% — Rebound (2005)
13% — National Security (2003)