The Best and Worst of Matthew McConaughey

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Free State of Jones" star Matthew McConaughey.

Films starring Matthew McConaughey that I've seen:
Dazed and Confused
Angels in the Outfield 
Larger than Life
Contact
Reign of Fire
Fool's Gold
Tropic Thunder
The Lincoln Lawyer
Mud
The Paperboy
Dallas Buyers Club
The Wolf of Wall Street
Interstellar 

Best Performance: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
This performance marked the moment were I became completely sold on the McConaissance. In less than 15 minutes on screen, McConaughey manages to steal the entire movie from a cast that was almost exclusively made up of elite actors. McConaughey is hilarious and relentlessly sleazy as the stockbroker that introduces Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) to the sex, drugs and corruption-filled culture of Wall Street. As good as The Wolf of Wall Street was, I wished the film focused on McConaughey's character instead of Belfort.

Worst Performance: Fool's Gold (2008)
The 2000's was a dark time for McConaughey's career as he spent almost the entire decade starring in romantic comedies that were profitable, but almost universally panned by critics and audiences alike. If Fool's Gold-the only film from the aforementioned period that I've seen-is any indicator, I completely understand why McConaughey was viewed as one of Hollywood's biggest laughing stocks at that point in time. The humor is far too straight-laced to make use of his gift for perfectly performing insane, over-the-top comedy and not even an ounce of the charm or likability he showcased in films like Dazed and Confused and Reign of Fire is on display here. Hopefully McConaughey can continue his recent hot streak and not have to resort to making movies in this vein again.

Best Film: Tropic Thunder (2008) 
Tropic Thunder keeps popping up when I do these pieces and for good reason-it's an extremely funny and pretty underrated movie. Tropic Thunder features everything I look for in a satire. The script beautifully skewers Hollywood privilege and gritty war movies, the ensemble cast straight-up slays their respective roles and most importantly for a comedy, the laughs hold up on repeat viewings. 

Worst Film: Fool's Gold (2008)
How I end up seeing Fool's Gold can only be explained by a brief, dull anecdote. A few years ago, my Easter dinner was late going into the oven, so my aunt's boyfriend decided to put this movie onto pass the time. For whatever reason, I sat through the whole thing and proceeded to spend the rest of the day hating myself because of it. This was easily one of the most unfunny and insufferable romantic comedies I've ever seen. Not even a scantily-clad Kate Hudson and beautiful Caribbean setting (although most of the film was filmed in Australia) could make this shitfest tolerable. Watching full-scale cinematic disasters like this makes McConaughey's seamless transition into more serious material that much more impressive. 

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "The Legend of Tarzan" star Christoph Waltz.