Gold

“Gold” isn’t a bad movie and should you go in with moderate expectations you’re likely to have a good time with. I did thanks to Matthew McConaughey’s transformation (performance doesn’t quite cut it as a description) and some of the developments towards the end. Nonetheless, the film is a disappointment.

Kenny Wells (McConaughey) has a dream, one no investor believes in. When his mining company finds gold in Indonesia, he and his partner Michael Acosta (Édgar Ramírez) start riding the money train. But this is a movie; one that’s based on a true story, so you know the good times won’t last.

You’ve got to hand it to McConaughey. Even when he’s in a film that isn’t great, he makes the most of his role. He steals the show and isn’t afraid to show himself as a fat, balding, ugly grinned loser if it’ll serve the role he’s in. The names of the people involved in the real-life story have been changed for “Gold”, so we never find out what any of these people REALLY looked, but he can’t be far off.

“Gold” suffers from the fact that you can’t help but compare it to other, better films. Admit it, the instant you saw a trailer for this picture, you pictured another “The Wolf of Wall Street” or “The Big Short”. This picture – nay – this story, fictionalized or not just isn’t on the same level. Kenny Welsh is not a memorable character. You get to know him a bit, but he’s not that funny, or quirky, and the picture just isn’t directed with the flair necessary to elevate it. Some craziness from the cinematographer or weirdness from the director would’ve made the film stand out.

“Gold” is not a bad film, but it doesn’t have much of an identity. I can’t foresee this film leaving a lasting impression – even a negative one. It’s a one-and-done. I’m glad I saw it, I was curious to see how it would wrap up, but “Gold” is not the Oscar contender you might’ve expected when you first saw the trailers. (theatrical version on the big screen, February 7, 2017)