Matthew McConaughey has had quite an incredible career in Hollywood thus far. He began with small yet memorable supporting roles before becoming a leading man. His career stalled for a time with endless rom-coms before he had one of the biggest comebacks in Hollywood's recent memory.
With such a rollercoaster ride of a career, it's no surprising his IMDb page is filled with quite a variety of films. Some are truly great classics fans can endlessly enjoy on rewatches while others are misfires that McConaughey is probably wishing could be wiped from his resume. Have a look at the best and worst from his interesting career.
Best: Kubo And The Two Strings (2016) - 7.8
In a rare voice acting role for McConaughey, he joined the beautiful adventure Kubo and the Two Strings from the folks at Laika Animation. It follows a young boy named Kubo who teams up with a beetle (McConaughey) and a monkey (Charlize Theron) to defeat the evil wizard trying to kill him.
The animation is beautiful, and the action sequences are genuinely thrilling. But the real heart of the film is the surprisingly emotional family story at its center.
Worst: The Wedding Planner (2001) - 5.3
While some of McConaughey's rom-coms clicked with audiences, The Wedding Planner was one that didn't seem to offer too much to the genre. It stars Jennifer Lopez as a wedding planner who finds herself falling for the groom (McConaughey) in her latest wedding.
Despite the charm of the leads, The Wedding Planner was just more of the same as far as most audiences were concerned. One-dimensional characters, endless cliches, and lackluster comedy elements made it a fairly forgettable feature.
Best: The Gentlemen (2019) 7.9
Stepping away from the big franchise films, Guy Ritchie returned to the world of British gangster stories he is known for. In The Gentlemen, McConaughey plays an American drug kingpin operating in England who is looking to sell his empire when everything starts to go wrong.
Audiences were thrilled to see Ritchie return to his old bag of tricks, and they loved the crime-comedy angle of this story. It also doesn't hurt that the film is packed with a lot of wonderful actors.
Worst: Surfer, Dude (2008) - 4.7
McConaughey's laidback surfer persona has worked well in a number of roles, but Surfer, Dude was pushing it too far it seems. He plays a surfer who experiences an existential crisis when the waters go calm and he is faced with a lucrative yet soul-crushing opportunity.
Packed with many of McConaughey's own friends, the film feels more like watching these people hang out than an actual movie. The story is not engaging at all and the comedy relies on the same stoner gimmicks we've seen endless times before.
Best: Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - 8.0
McConaughey won his first Oscar for his powerful performance in the true-life drama Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey plays a former rodeo star who learns he has contracted AIDs. He then sets up a business to provide affordable drugs to others suffering from the disease.
The performance by McConaughey, as well as Jared Leto's amazing supporting turn, truly elevates the film. He creates a complex and complicated character who is not always easy to root for but one we begin to sympathize with more and more as the film continues.
Worst: Tiptoes (2003) - 4.4
Tiptoes has become something of a Hollywood legend for being regarded as one of the most bizarre and ill-conceived films in history. It is the story of a little person (Gary Oldman) who finds himself in a love triangle with his brother (McConaughey).
While plenty of the behind-the-scenes drama may have hindered the final product, it seems like this was just a mistake from the beginning. Apart from Oldman's strange casting, the film was seen as dull and its sentimental message feels lifeless.
Best: The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) - 8.2
McConaughey got the chance to work with the legendary Martin Scorsese in one of his wildest films. Based on a true story, The Wolf of Wall Street stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who lived a life of pure debauchery while making obscene amounts of money.
The movie is a total insane ride with this character. It is both hilarious for how extreme this world is and sickening that these people really lived like this. McConaughey steals the show in a small role as one of Belfort's early bosses who introduces him to the unhinged lifestyle.
Worst: Scorpion Spring (1995) - 4.2
After his successful debut in Dazed and Confused, McConaughey struggled to find the right roles which led him to trashy B-movies like Scorpion Spring. The film follows a drug runner on the run from the law as well as a ruthless drug lord, played by McConaughey.
In a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, McConaughey revealed the hilarious story of how he planned to improvise his way through this movie only to arrive on set the first day to find his character was meant to speak Spanish. That is just a small indication of the kind of mess this film is.
Best: Interstellar (2014) - 8.6
Teaming with yet another beloved filmmaker, McConaughey took the lead role in Christopher Nolan's space epic Interstellar. He stars as Cooper, an engineer who reluctantly leaves his family behind on earth while he goes on a space mission to find a planet suitable for human life.
Nolan crafts a mesmerizing and beautiful sci-fi adventure. His unique storytelling worked better here for some more than others, but McConaughey's emotional central performance helps to ground things.
Worst: The Return Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994) - 3.3
For many fans of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this sequel marks the lowest point in the horror franchise. It features a young Renee Zellweger among a group of teens who are stranded on prom night and are hunted by Leatherface.
McConaughey tries to add a spark to the film as a member of the cannibalistic family but his wild energy just adds to the dull chaos of the film that is sorely lacking in any real thrills.