Today’s Prayer Focus
Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company

Gold

also known as “Arany,” “Auksas,” “Kuld,” “Ouro,” “Ouro e Cobiça,” “Zlato”
MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Crime Adventure Thriller
Length: 2 hr. 1 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: December 30, 2016 (limited)
January 27, 2017 (wide—2,166 theaters)
DVD: May 2, 2017
Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Companyclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company
Relevant Issues

Gold in the Bible

About money in the Bible

Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company Copyright, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company
Featuring Matthew McConaughey … Kenny Wells
Bryce Dallas Howard … Kay
Toby Kebbell … Jennings
Rachael Taylor …
Edgar Ramírez … Michael Acosta
Bruce Greenwood …
Bill Camp … Hollis Dresher
Craig T. Nelson …
Stacy Keach … Clive Coleman
Corey Stoll … Brian Woolf
Michael Landes … Binkert
See all »
Director Stephen Gaghan — “Syriana” (2005)
Producer Black Bear Pictures
Hwy61
See all »
Distributor Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company
Copyrighted, Dimension Films, a division of The Weinstein Company

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “The film follows a rough-around-the-edges prospector who stumbles onto one of the largest gold mines in the world.

GOLD is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

Directed by Stephen Gaghan, the film stars Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramírez and Bryce Dallas Howard. The film is written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Nozik served as producers alongside Massett, Zinman, and McConaughey.”

Volunteer reviewer needed for this movie

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive

none

Negative
Negative—True story about an alcoholic, chain smoking, foul mouthed gold investor. The main character is so sleezy you want to go home and shower. Foul language and the use of the Lords name permeate the entire movie. Save your money, this is a slow, vulgar, painful watch.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Dennis, age 63 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Movie Critics
…Matthew McConaughey glitters as a miner… McConaughey is so good he makes it work… [3/4]
Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
…it’s a deliriously entertaining ride, as a man with a dream drops his last quarter in the slot machine and goes home with the entire casino. …final scene is a huge miscalculation…
Peter Debruge, Variety
…Doesn’t hit the mother lode, despite an ace lead performance. …The actor’s intensity never flags. What’s missing from this story of struggle and glory and the need to believe is a fever to match his.
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
…McConaughey glitters in otherwise dull film… Between tonal shifts and a weird toggling between comedy and drama, Gold never quite finds its feet. … [3½]
Liz Braun, Postmedia Network
…The story, loosely true, tendrils through big ideas about capitalist madness run amok. But “Gold” wastes McConaughey’s mania with unconvincing sentimentality. …[B-]
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly
…the boyish enthusiasm and zany energy of McConaughy's Wells helps to keep things watchable… nothing about “Gold” ever resonates emotionally.
Mike Scott, The Times-Picayune
…Matthew Mcconaughey can't quite make “Gold” glitter…
Tom Shone, Newsweek
…a lackluster caper… the priciest ore is a bore in Matthew McConaughey misfire… Cursory research shows that there are only trace elements of what actually happened (the Bre-X case, as it is called). …[2/5]
Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian (UK)
…Kenny is so thinly drawn, he and his motivations are a mystery. …Turning McConaughey into a wreck through makeup and lighting is not an adequate substitute for character development. …[3/5]
Allen Salkin, New York Daily News
… the adventure drama connects the dots but fails to make a real connection with us. …the characters are nowhere near as interesting and engaging as they need to be… [2/4]
Bill Wine, CBS Philadelphia
…the script never quite fills out Kenny’s character enough to match the physical presence established by McConaughey. Neither does it solve the problem of how to give the complex story sufficient narrative thrust to keep an audience hooked. …
John Hazelton, ScreenDaily
…Stephen Gaghan's “Gold” finds no treasure of gleaming originality in its crushingly clichéd anti-capitalist parable… [1½/4]
Kenji Fujishima, Slant