The deal with Matthew McConaughey is, when his gung-ho approach to acting is channeled into a strong character and moderated by a smart director, he’s awfully good.
And when those things about McConaughey aren’t in place, he can be … not so good.
To quote myself, on his turn in “Reign of Fire” (2002): “This is the kind of performance that kills careers.” Happily, McConaughey not only rebounded, but copped an Oscar (for “Dallas Buyers Club,” in 2013) in the process.
However. In “Gold,” McConaughey is unleashed, and the result ain’t pretty.
Adopting a bad combover and a bulging gut, and clutching his bourbon-on-the-rocks like a pacifier, McConaughey overplays everything here. He’s even got some signature aphorisms that could be spliced directly into his philosophical car commercials: “The last card you turn over is the only one that matters.” Not actually true, if you think about it, but hey, the character’s a hustler.
The film aspires to be an “American Hustle”-style carnival ride loosely based on a true story. (Don’t look up the true story unless you want some major spoilers.) Comedy and drama are liberally mixed, and greed is the order of the day.
In the 1980s, we meet Kenny Wells (McConaughey), a go-getter in his father’s mining corporation. Unfortunately, Kenny’s not a bright manager, and he runs the business into the ground, no pun intended.
Kenny literally has a vision: There’s gold in them thar hills, if the jungles of Indonesia can be described as them thar hills. Kenny enlists a risk-taking developer, Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez, late of “The Girl on the Train” and “Joy”), to partner with him.
The film has fun with what happens after the mine actually strikes gold. The juking back and forth between Kenny’s company, bigger conglomerates who want to swallow his find, and the dicey Indonesian government is cleverly managed.
“Gold” is directed by Stephen Gaghan, who did “Syriana.” He’s adept at getting complicated scenarios to skip along, and “Gold” does have a crazy story to tell.
But just as McConaughey doesn’t know where to stop in his performance, neither does the movie. It’s all big and loud and over the top.
A few actors get good moments here — Corey Stoll and Bill Camp, for instance. But Gaghan deserves a rap on the knuckles for the film’s utter indifference to its primary female character, Kenny’s girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas Howard.
That’s probably because the film is more interested in the bromance between Kenny and Acosta. Of course, gold might get in the way there, too. See “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” for the definitive take on the subject.
“Gold” (2 stars)
Loosely based on a true story about two mining developers (Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez) who strike gold in Indonesia in the 1980s. Some of the corporate chicanery is entertaining, but everything in this movie — most visibly McConaughey’s bad performance — is way, way over the top.
Rating: R, for language, nudity
Showing: Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Meridian, Oak Tree, Sundance Cinemas, Cascade Mall
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
