(12A)
Treasure hunters Ben (Matthew McConaughey) and Tess (Kate Hudson) have just divorced. The reason for the split is revealed by Tess’s sardonic divorce lawyer who observes: “You married the guy for sex and expected him to be smart?”
But the couple reluctantly join forces again to find sunken Spanish treasure off the coast of Florida (played here, quite convincingly in fact, by the coast of Queensland, Australia).
It sounds silly, and that is what this comedy adventure certainly is. But it is also fun, and just the job if you are looking for a glossy and deeply undemanding evening’s entertainment.
The film raises many questions. Will the villains win out in the end? Will Ben and Tess end up together at the final fade? Will McConaughey ever put on a shirt? Will Donald Sutherland, playing a somewhat fey English-accented billionaire, be able to maintain a straight face in the face of the dialogue? And perhaps most pertinent of all, what on earth accent is Ray Winstone using for his overplayed villainous role?
Happily, all these questions (apart from Winstone’s contribution) are answered by a light and frothy confection that would make a perfect in-flight flick.
