Hudson and McConaughey Re-Team

Posted by Leslie C. Halpern Jul 20, 2008

Could this on-screen romantic couple be the next Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (Joe Versus the Volcano [1990], Sleepless in Seattle [1993], You’ve Got Mail [1998]) or Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (Pretty Woman [1990], Runaway Bride [1999])?

What about the next Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase?

I have to say no.

The original romantic comedy thriller Foul Play (1978), written and directed by Colin Higgins (screenwriter for Harold and Maude), stars Hawn (Kate’s mother) as a shy divorced librarian and Chase as a wisecracking San Francisco police detective. The film combines the considerable comedic talents of both actors, who re-teamed in 1980 for the romantic comedy Seems Like Old Times.

The pair not only looks cute together, but their comedy styles mesh well, making Foul Play thrilling and amusing, and Seems Like Old Times laugh-out-loud funny as we follow the antics of the crazy mismatched divorced couple.

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey first co-starred together in the cute romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) and then again for the critically panned Fool’s Gold (2008). Although the team ignites a few sparks in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, the cringe-inducing adventure film Fool’s Gold should have been their final effort together.

Kate’s impish grin and magnetic charm mirror Hawn’s likeable onscreen persona, and McConaughey excels in physical roles where he can take off his shirt and flex his muscles. His lazy drawl and smooth moves seem particularly ill suited to the role of Chase’s Tony Carlson, the fast-talking, bumbling West Coast cop in Foul Play.

I’d enjoy seeing Hudson and McConaughey paired with other co-stars in different films, but together they lack the chemistry of date movie stars of earlier generations. I won’t be rushing out to watch the remake.