What’s It About
Two estranged siblings join forces to seek the legendary Fountain of Youth. Using historical clues, they embark on an epic quest filled with adventure. If successful, the mythical fountain could grant them immortality.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Guy Ritchie’s “Fountain of Youth” is hard at work being the next Indiana Jones, but it is a decent imitation that you would wish to view on a lazy Saturday afternoon. The movie gets into action with a hip Thai rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang,” and already this informs you that the movie is trying to be trendy and quirky. The movie follows Luke (John Krasinski), a charming art thief who steals paintings for a living. When terminally ill billionaire Owen (Domhnall Gleeson) pays him a fortune to get the legendary Fountain of Youth, Luke is up for the task. The catch: he has to recruit his sister Charlotte to help. Charlotte (Natalie Portman) is a museum employee and getting divorced from her husband in an ugly relationship with a custody battle looming for her son. She doesn’t so much want to be along for Luke’s crazy ride but could use the money, and her brother is not going to let “no” stand. The movie takes us on a world tour as the brothers travel to gather clues hidden in pieces by artists like Rembrandt and Caravaggio. They travel from France to Ireland, Austria, and Egypt, their pursuers relentless and action in between. John Krasinski is equal to the task in playing Luke, bringing over good vibes from his “The Office” days into this role. He’s charming and funny even when his character is up to some shady stuff. Natalie Portman keeps him grounded as the level-headed sister who finds herself in the chaos without having done anything wrong. The real scene-stealer, though, is Eiza González as Esme, a gritty warrior who protects the fountain’s secrets. She’s gritty, mysterious, and brings actual life to every action scene. Domhnall Gleeson does well as the billionaire patron, but he needed more screen time. Guy Ritchie can make everything cool. Fight scenes are nicely handled, like a fantastic sequence in Bangkok when Luke dispatches some burglars. The battle of Egypt is breathtaking, with decent special effects that bring the ancient pyramids to life as enchanting and ominous. Here, the story gets muddled. The film tries to stuff too much into ancient scrolls, secret societies, family feuds, and treasure hunting all in one. The film sometimes tries to be five movies in one. The biggest problem is that Luke is really annoying. He gets his sister into trouble, gets her fired from her job, puts her custody case in jeopardy, and does it all with the attitude that he’s doing her a favor. The movie wishes us to find him cool and a men’s man, but for the most part, he is irresponsible and careless. There is also way too much talking. Characters spend ages to relate the story rather than just carrying on with the quest. In a scene, even a character has to say “Ok, go on.” because even they’ve had enough of all the narration. “Fountain of Youth” takes a great deal from great films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “National Treasure,” and “The Da Vinci Code.” There is nothing wrong with taking things from good films, but this one does not put enough of its own spin on things to differentiate. The film even gives the deceased brother of the twins the name of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones pseudonym, “Harrison,” which is a bit excessive. But while Indy was in real danger and faced consequences, Luke’s adventures are not dangerous enough and are too ordinary. “Fountain of Youth” is not bad, but good as well. It’s the kind of film you’re happy enough to sit through when you’re restless and in the mood for something with pleasant scenery and decent action. The acting is serviceable, Ritchie does get the thing underway, and there are some neat scenes to keep it worth it. But don’t look for anything that will blow your mind. It’s a comfort food film – old shoe, easy to swallow, but not really memorable. If you approach it with low expectations, just want to watch pretty people fly around the world to strange places in search of buried treasure, you’ll likely enjoy yourself. The film works best when it rolls with its own absurdity and doesn’t try to do anything more than it absolutely must. It has the bad habit sometimes of trying to be so much deeper and so much more profound than it actually is, and that slows things down. “Fountain of Youth” had everything it needed, a good cast, beautiful locations, excellent action scenes, and an old pro director. But somehow, all of that just never quite came together as an overall whole. It’s a film whose individual components are all there, but whose overall image isn’t as sharp as it might seem. John Krasinski fans will probably like seeing him do something other than his customary, and Natalie Portman is classy enough to make her scenes look good. The supporting actors, especially Eiza González, bring some genuine oomph to the proceedings. If you’re looking in the market for the next great action film, keep shopping. But if you can abide a decent way to spend two hours with some popcorn and don’t mind a couple of plot holes, “Fountain of Youth” is worth paying for. It’s no fountain of eternal film youth itself, but nor is it an absolute drought. And sometimes that’s enough.
OUR RATING – A YOUTHFUL, FLAWED 6