Matthew McConaughey: His 5 Best Movies (And 5 Worst)

Until a few twelvemonth ago , Matthew McConaughey was thought to be one of Hollywood ’s lame ducks . He was a handsome guy with charm and charisma who got cast in a lot of dreadful romanticist comedies and did n’t seem to really apply himself to his performances . But thenthe McConaissance materialise , and the actor began turn down big paycheck for banal Hollywood productions and started accepting little paycheck for more intimate , inventive , independent moving-picture show .

Naturally , his filmography now look like a motley bag , with both bully movies and awful I .

Best:The Wolf of Wall Street

Although Matthew McConaughey ’s function was pocket-size , it was pivotal inthe character ontogenesis of Jordan Belfortand he made a long-lasting printing with his chest - pounding mantra . That was n’t even guess to be in the movie ; it was just something McConaughey did to pump himself up before each take . ButMartin Scorsese ascertain it and care it , so he put it in the movie and it became one of the most iconic scenes in the whole three - hour epic . To have your bit part stand out in a cast of about 30 thespian playing major bring up character is quite an impressive feat .

Worst:Failure to Launch

This so - call funniness about a man in his thirties who refuses to move out of his parents ’ house is a low point in Matthew McConaughey ’s career . He became known for play laidback guy cable who are so wizard that woman fall in dear with them , but this is like an absurd irony of that premiss – and it ’s attempt to be sincere . In this one , he ’s so laidback that he never moved out of his parents ’ business firm and he ’s so charming that he manage to get the womanhood his parents hire to get him out of their house to shine in love with him . The premise does n’t tee up up a great movie , so it ’s unsurprising that it ’s not a great pic .

Best:Magic Mike

You ’d be forgive for assumingMagic Mike , Steven Soderbergh ’s dramedy about male stripper , isjust an endless collage of exposed bulges and grease - up abs , but the movie has a stack of spunk and soul , too . This is a result of the handwriting beingbased on Channing Tatum ’s substantial - life experiencesworking as a stripper – it bringsa academic degree of authenticityto the story . Matthew McConaughey ’s function is just supporting , but he makes a huge impingement on the audience in his few scene . He seems right at home on the stage and projects authority as he say , “ The law says you could not touch , but I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this household . ”

Worst:Serenity

Movie audiences expect great thing fromPeaky Blinderscreator Steven Knight , as well as actors Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway . unluckily , their young thrillerSerenityisan unambiguously unspeakable movie . It start off as one uncollectible pic and ends as another uncollectible moving-picture show .

It set about as a gammon - fisted attempt at a advanced - solar day film noir as a fisherman is require by his femme fatale ex - wife to murder her abusive current married man , but followinga predictable secret plan twist , it devolves into a brainless sci - fi story about the dangers of technology – like a poor man’sBlack Mirror . It ’s no admiration the distributors decide not to bother spending any money on selling .

Best:Dazed and Confused

This coming - of - age drollery from writer - director Richard Linklater , named after the Led Zeppelin song , is less a pic and more a series of vignettes that charm the spirit and agitation of the last Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of a schooling twelvemonth . The scenes by nature segue into one another and give the pic a loose and unconventional , yet engaging narrative construction . In other words , it ’s a fiercely original employment of cinema . More movies should represent around with form like this . Quentin TarantinoranksDazed and Confusedas one of his favorite movies of all fourth dimension and , most importantly , it originated Matthew McConaughey ’s signature idiom : “ Awright , awright , awright . ”

Worst:Sahara

Saharais infamouslyone of the bighearted corner office collapse of all time . found on the Clive Cussler novel of the same name , it cost $ 160 million to make and only made around $ 120 million back at the worldwide box office . Taking into account marketing cost , it ’s count on to have lost around $ 100 million for the studio . On the footing of the movie itself , it ’s barely surprising that it failed to find an audience . Its duologue is hammy , its plot is nonsensical , and its merits are non - existent . The handsome - budget visuals are well-defined , but there ’s no substance to back it up , meaning the movie is an all - round failure .

Best:Mud

author - managing director Jeff Nichols surmount himself with this southerly coming - of - age tale exalt by the works of Mark Twain . Like most arthouse movies , Mudis internal and subtle , and it does n’t rely on large set piece or preview - favorable inverted comma to get a response out of its audience . Still , without those training wheel , it grapple to be a fantastic movie .

Instead of transporting us to the elevated reality of the movies , Nichols instead searches for the obscure beauty in our own mankind . Matthew McConaughey stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and both give incredible performances as damage people , both shed their Hollywood romcom personas and proving they can really dissemble .

Worst:Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

This romcom take on Charles Dickens ’ classicA Christmas Carolinduces just as much eye - roll as its assumption would propose . Matthew McConaughey dally a distinctive Corinthian who is face by the ‘ ghost ’ of his ex-husband - girlfriend on the eve of his wedding ceremony , with the day of the marriage filling in for Christmas Day and Hollywood clichés filling in forDickens ’ nuanced storytelling . Jon Lucas and Scott Moore write the screenplay for this movie in the same year they compose the hit comedyThe Hangover , so it seems like they saved all their comedic talent for one script and churned out the other .

Best:Dallas Buyers Club

moviegoer catch a Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy in the former ‘ 00s would express mirth at you if you evidence them that same thespian would win an Academy Award a few old age after for play an AIDS affected role in a heartfelt drama based on true events . But that ’s exactly what happen . He even underwenta Christian Bale - esque physical structure transformationto look the part . This was the commitment his early career was missing . The great thing aboutDallas Buyers Clubis that nothing is dressed up . It ’s not theatrical or neatly structured – it feel more like a documentary . Thedeeply ingenuous acting by McConaugheyand his Colorado - star Jared Leto serve to betray that slant .

Worst:Fool’s Gold

This activity comedy – woefully bereft of action that ’s exciting and comedy that ’s risible – solidified Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson ’s piazza as the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan of terrible movies . This endeavor at intermix adventure and romance in the flair ofRomancing the Stoneended up fuse clichés and stupidity in the dash of a passable in - flight movie instead . The plot is laughable and conductor Andy Tennant seems to suppose close in on McConaughey ’s shirtless torso is a good enough substitute for character evolution . It ’s staggering that this movie only ended up with one Razzie nomination . That must ’ve been some bad year for picture .