Five Films To Watch from the Matthew McConaughey renaissance (AKA The McConaissance)

Killer Joe (2011)

This William Friedkin directed pitch black comedy crime film shows the deep intensity of Matthew McConaughey. Based on the play by Tracy Letts, McConaughey plays the eponymous ‘Killer Joe’ Cooper, a police detective who moonlights as a contract killer. He is hired by Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) to murder his mother for a share of the insurance payout that will accompany her death. Things are complicated when the Smith family become more deeply involved in the plot and Joe starts a relationship with Chris’ sister Dottie.

Killer Joe is brutal and hard to watch in some places, it even garnered the “movie-killing” NC-17 rating in the US, but the acting is superb throughout. Sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh or recoil in utter terror at what is being shown. The most infamous scene involving Kentucky Fried Chicken will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

It came at a time when the renaissance of Matthew McConaughey was hitting its peak and he continues to shine in his role of Joe. He mixes his usual charm with an unsettling power that he has over all of the characters he comes into contact with. An underrated gem if you have the stomach for it.

Interstellar (2014)

An epic and beautiful piece of filmmaking from Christopher Nolan who directed this science-fiction blockbuster after finishing off the Dark Knight trilogy. The world is suffering from constant famine and blight, crops are failing, dust is rising. Cue a team of astronauts, unloved by the world, to find a new home world in the far reaches of space. Tasked with piloting this mission is Matthew McConaughey in the second time on this list he has had the surname Cooper.

The film is majestic, exquisite, and bold. The deep love and research that went into the science of space gives the film an extra layer. In fact, Scientific Consultant Kip Thorne was so intrinsically involved with the movie that he then went on the author ‘The Science of Interstellar.’ Even if there’s parts of Interstellar difficult to understand and require multiple viewings, it’s vital it’s all there.

Amidst the fantastic visual effects there is also a heart, and the film truly is about family. The scene where Cooper watches time slip away as his family grow up without him, due to an unfortunate trip to the water planet, is heart-breaking and you can see every inch of that on McConaughey’s face. If you haven’t seen Interstellar, watch it. If you have, watch it again.

Bernie (2011)

McConaughey was truly firing on all cylinders during the McConaissance, even in his smaller roles. Bernie is a great Richard Linklater-directed film that might have slipped under the radar for some.

Based on a true story, the main characters here are actually mortician’s assistant Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) as he befriends the recently widowed Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). The lunch together and shop together as the community around them wonders why the affable and pleasant Bernie would be spending so much time with the irascible Marjorie. McConaughey plays the local district Attorney, Danny Buck Davidson, when their relationship goes wrong.

Bernie is an excellent examination of a small American town and community. Set in Carthage, Texas, it shows how gossip, conjecture and the court of public opinion can influence people and cases of the law. Local people are used in a mix of actors and townspeople to give this sense of authenticity and shows the character of the place.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

The movie that won McConaughey the Best Actor Oscar, as well as Jared Leto receiving the Best Supporting Actor. Dallas Buyers Club is the true story of Ron Woodroof. When diagnosed with AIDs during the 1980s, he smuggled drugs that were not allowed by the US government into Texas in an attempt to treat fellow sufferers.

McConaughey is charismatic and on the full charm offensive as Woodruff, even as his body starts to visibly deteriorate (McConaughey lost 47 pounds for this role). But you also have to admire his mental change throughout the film and the journey as he learns to accept these people from subcultures that he has been landed with.

It was a time when AIDs was a death sentence and director Jean-Marc Vallee does a fantastic job of portraying this without sickly sentimentality. It is an astonishing true story that is acted by people at the top of their game and was therefore rightfully rewarded by the Academy.

Magic Mike (2012)

Magic Mike is one of those movies that could have gone one way or the other. Its subject matter of male strippers could descend into style over substance. However, under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, it became an international phenomenon and box office hit. It becomes more about who the characters are who do the stripping, not the stripping itself.

McConaughey was the first actor cast in Magic Mike as Dallas, the owner of the club. He is the perfect choice for someone who has seen it all in the industry. The rest of the cast really bounces off each other and there is a likeability about them all.

The dialogue is snappy, the music and dance scenes are great, and it is a lot of fun. Most of all though, it is a well-told story and not just two hours of stripping that gets people screaming. Well worth a watch.

Honourable Mentions

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

McConaughey steals the scenes he is in as Mark Hanna. His chest-beating call to action will be watched for years to come. Misses the list though as we only get a little taste of him here.

Mud (2013)

A great coming-of-age movie from Jeff Nichols. McConaughey plays the eponymous fugitive Mud who meets two teenagers (Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland) who help him keep away from those after him.

True Detective (2014)

Not a movie but deserves a mention for the terrific central performances of McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Dark, gripping television.