Debapriya Bhattacharya
Matthew McConaughey began his acting career in the 1990s and established himself as a leading man in romantic comedies after the turn of the century with films such as ‘The Wedding Planner,’ ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,’ ‘Fool’s Gold,’ and ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.’ Between 2009 and 2011, he took a hiatus from acting and returned to take up more dramatic roles, as in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ and ‘Dallas Buyers Club.’ While Matthew appeared in his fair share of television shows, he is most popularly known for starring in the crime anthology series, ‘True Detective.’ The Academy Award winner and Primetime Emmy-nominee has also made his mark in the science fiction genre with films like ‘Contact’ and ‘Interstellar,’ as well as lent his voice to animated projects such as ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ and ‘Sing.’ If you are looking forward to checking out his work on Netflix, the following curated list will help you get started.
9. Dazed and Confused (1993)
Directed by Richard Linklater, ‘Dazed and Confused’ follows students of Lee High School in Austin, Texas, on the final day of their academic session in 1976. Among the usual shenanigans are the seniors hazing the freshmen, and teenagers participating in debauchery of all sorts. Matthew McConaughey stars in the film as David Wooderson, a former student in his twenties who continues to hang out with the students. He picks up his younger lackeys and attends a pool party where the students congregate. You can view the coming-of-age comedy film here.
8. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Helmed by Travis Knight, ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ revolves around the titular young boy, Kubo, who lives in feudal Japan and wields a magical musical instrument. Kubo has only one eye, with his grandfather, the Moon King, stealing another when he was an infant. His father, the great Samurai warrior Hanzo, has long been missing. After he accidentally summons a vengeful spirit, Kubo decides to set out to confront his grandfather and discover the truth about what befell his father. He teams up with Monkey, an anthropomorphic snow monkey charm, and Beetle, a human-stag beetle hybrid, for the mission. Matthew McConaughey lends his voice to Beetle in the stop-motion animated film that you can watch here.
7. U-571 (2000)
A period film set during World War II, ‘U-571’ by Jonathan Mostow tells the story of the eponymous German submarine that breaks down and awaits assistance in the middle of the ocean. To make use of the golden opportunity, the US Navy approaches it with one of its submarines disguised as a German vessel, with the objective of boarding the vessel and stealing the sophisticated encryption device onboard called Enigma. While the first part of their plan goes well, things turn south after a real German submarine shows up and torpedoes the American sub. The surviving crew members board U-571 to attempt a daring escape under the leadership of Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey). You can watch the tense war thriller here.
6. Boys on the Side (1995)
The final film directed by Herbert Ross, ‘Boys on the Side,’ centers around three women undertaking a cross-country trip. Following a breakup, nightclub singer Jane (Whoopi Goldberg) answers a personal ad from real estate agent Robin (Mary-Louise Parker) seeking a travel partner from New York to Los Angeles. The two decide to travel together, stopping in Pittsburgh to pick up Robin’s friend Holly (Drew Barrymore) to help her escape an abusive relationship. Coming from different backgrounds, the women gel well together. However, things change as Robin is diagnosed with AIDS during their stop at Tucson, Arizona, and Holly falls in love with local police officer Abe Lincoln (Matthew McConaughey). Watch the comedy drama here.
5. Sing (2016)
‘Sing’ by Garth Jennings is an animated film following a dapper koala, Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), who runs a grand theater that is threatened with foreclosure by the bank. To save his beloved establishment, he organizes a singing competition at the place and accidentally announces the prize money as $100,000. As the competition gets underway, five contestants emerge from among the crowd: an arrogant mouse, Mike (Seth MacFarlane), a shy elephant, a dreamy pig, Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a gorilla with criminal family, Johnny (Taron Egerton), and a punk-rock porcupine, Ash (Scarlett Johansson). You can stream the film surrounding anthropomorphic animals on Netflix.
4. Gold (2016)
Helmed by Stephen Gaghan, ‘Gold’ stars Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, the young head of a prospecting company who is desperate for a big break. He has a dream that leads him to Indonesia, where he meets geologist Michael Acosta (Édgar Ramírez). Kenny convinces Michael to join his venture, and the two overcome the various challenges in their path to get their hands on the gold. However, keeping control over it following intense boardroom negotiations is a greater challenge. You can try the crime drama loosely inspired by the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal here.
3. The Dark Tower (2017)
Loosely based on Stephen King’s novel series of the same name, ‘The Dark Tower’ centers around Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), a gunslinger who seeks to protect the titular tower. He is locked in a never-ending battle with the Man in Black, Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey), who seeks to topple the mythical structure. With the fate of the universe at stake, the two men often collide, and Earth barely pulls through. Young Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) has visions of the tower and the fight over it while living in present-day New York. When he discovers a high-tech portal, he gets transported to the post-apocalyptic landscape called Mid-World, where he becomes an apprentice to Roland. Stream the neo-Western science fantasy film here.
2. The Gentlemen (2020)
‘The Gentlemen’ by Guy Ritchie tells the story of Michael “Mickey” Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an American who secures a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. There, he begins to sell marijuana before dropping out of college and building up a narcotics empire. Growing cannabis under the estates of cash-strapped aristocratic landlords, Mickey makes the venture profitable. Years later, when the UK moves toward legalizing marijuana, he seeks to sell his business to a legitimate proprietor. However, as the word begins to spread, shady characters emerge to try and steal his domain. Watch the action comedy film on Netflix.
1. Agent Elvis (2023)
‘Agent Elvis’ reimagines rock and roll icon Elvis Presley as a heroic undercover spy who uses high-tech gadgets and his skills and charisma to stop bad guys from destroying the world. The adult animated series is created by the ex-wife of the singer, Priscilla Presley, along with singer-screenwriter John Eddie. Matthew McConaughey voices Elvis in the series, who goes up against villains ranging from international terrorists to drug dealers and even the Manson Family. You can follow the series here.
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