Born to a father, who was formerly a football player, and a mother, a published author, Matthew McConaughey was the youngest of his three siblings. Initially, after being thinking of becoming a lawyer, McConaughey kick-started his acting career after Richard Linklater cast him in his coming-of-age teen comedy-drama film ‘Dazed and Confused’, which has since gained a cult status. Though he was not cast in complex roles and remained isolated to romantic comedies, it was not until him being cast in ‘Magic Mike’ in 2012, which spurted out his cinematic genius and hurled him into awards-limelight.
Where ‘Interstellar’ saw the sublime combo of Christopher Nolan and McConaughey, ‘True Detective’s Rustin Cohle made us believe McConaughey could also be the perfect fit for TV shows. So, let’s celebrate his career by taking a look at the list of top Matthew McConaughey movies and TV shows. You can watch some of these movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
10. The Paperboy (2012)
A film designed to outrage you. That’s exactly why you are either going to love it or hate it. But here’s what you are only going to love: Matthew McConaughey performance. As a tough cookie star reporter, Ward Jansen, McConaughey is thoroughly entertaining and full of surprises.
9. Killer Joe (2011)
Directed by William Friedkin, ‘Killer Joe’ is a Southern Gothic crime film, which portrays McConaughey as a cop in a town where a drug dealer, neck-deep in debt, hires a hit-man to kill his evil mother, in exchange for a tumble with his young sister. Underrated performance in an underrated film.
8. A Time to Kill (1996)
Much before his lover-boy image and subsequent McConaissance, McConaughey played a fearless young lawyer who defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter. It turned out to be star making turn after which McConaughey never had to look back.
7. Bernie (2011)
If you truly want to see McConaughey in a character role, this is the film to go to. He plays a Texan local district attorney looking into a murder crime. And to play the character McConaughey completes let’s go his star image, adopts a Texan accent, wears a hat and spectacles. It is truly a magnificent transformation.
6. Mud (2012)
A coming-of-age drama film, which competed in all the famed film festivals of that year, shows McConaughey as a fugitive, who is in exile, since he killed a man in Texas and has bounty hunters on his trail. When he meets two boys who have come to explore a Mississippi River island, he explains them his main aim, which is to meet his beloved rather than going out of the situation alive. In a supporting turn, McConaughey shows glimpses of his wide range of acting skills.
Read More: Matt Damon Movies
5. Interstellar (2014)
A surreal coming-together of some of the most named celebrities of Hollywood cinema like Christopher Nolan, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine and Caltech physicist Kip Thorne made this epic science-fiction phenomenon which follows a group of ex-NASA scientists, traveling in time and space to find a planet outside of Earth which can sustain life after Earth has been becoming slowly uninhabitable. Despite this being a science fiction, McConaughey shines in an emotional performance.
4. Magic Mike (2012)
A critically and commercially acclaimed film of unique nature, directed by Steven Soderbergh, tells us about a boy, who would do anything in daytime to make his ends meet. But it is only during nightime, when he shows his real self, being what he is best at – stripping. Doing this, he shows interest in a 19-year old boy and convinces him to share his lifestyle, but finds himself falling for the kid’s sister, the relationship being threatened by his profession. McConaughey, a stripper himself, plays the manager of the strip club the above mentioned characters work in. If there was one performance that completely changed McConaughey career graph it has to be this one. People just sat up and noticed what he was capable of doing.
3. Dazed and Confused
Alright! Alright! Alright! The phrase that would later become synonymous with McConaughey originated from this film which happens to be his debut performance. The film is an ensemble — that also had Ben Affeck in a very small role — but if there was one performance that stuck out, it has to be of McConaughey. He is charming and affable and leaves a lasting impression in a film about a bunch of teenagers partying on the last day of high school.
2. True Detective (2014)
The plot focuses on an ongoing investigation in a series of murders dating back to the time of the two main characters’ service. The story is presented to us in a syncretism of flashbacks and current interviews. The OUTSTANDING performance of McConaughey, coupled with the intriguing plot made the series a fan’s favorite, while also appeasing critics with its authenticity and realism. The series’ unwavering adherence to the deconstruction of human psyche and exploring different shades of the characters made it special.
1. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Perhaps one of the most acclaimed biographical movies of all time, this film burned the stage at Oscars that year. McConaughey plays the lead role of Ron Woodroof, who was diagnosed with AIDS in mid-80s when the disease, well-researched now, was still an alien to the world, constructs a buyers’ club to smuggle and sell and use unapproved pharmaceuticals to treat AIDS. For the role, McConaughey lost an incredible 47 pounds. But beyond just the physical transformation, he also gave a truly remarkable performance.
Read More: Viggo Mortenson Movies
