(Photo by Claudette Barius/©Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)
All Matthew McConaughey Movies Ranked
“Alright alright alright!” Only one man in Hollywood could fully embody the laidback cool of that now-famous catchphrase: Matthew McConaughey. The actor broke into the scene with the landmark stoner comedy Dazed and Confused, and for a while there looked like he was good to just coast on his twangy bro-charm and ample shirtless scenes. Occasional dramas like Amistad and Frailty gave him acting cred, which some would say was squandered on a string of duds like Fool’s Gold, Failure to Launch, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past – the mediocrity cresting with the 0% Surfer, Dude.
Then came the McConaissance.
It all started with 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer: He entered one side a laughing stock, and came out the other a bona fide movie legend. The hits followed: Magic Mike, Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street, and an honest-to-God Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. And there was that critically-lauded turn in HBO’s True Detective. Before 2011, McConaughey had notched six Certified Fresh films over 20 years; this past decade, he’s racked up nine. See where they all place, including his latest The Gentlemen, as we rank the best Matthew McConaughey movies (and the worst) by Tomatometer!
#45
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Hands on a Hard Body director S.R. Bindler directs this wave-twisting tale of a soul-searching surfer (Matthew McConaughey) in the...
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#44
Adjusted Score: 11.275%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When motivational speaker Jack inherits an elephant from his father, he wants to get rid of it as soon as...
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#43
Adjusted Score: 16.283%
Critics Consensus: With little chemistry among the performers, humorless gags, and a predictable storyline, Fool's Gold fails on every level.
Synopsis: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days co-stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey re-team on the big screen for...
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#42
Adjusted Score: 17.823%
Critics Consensus: The Next Generation has the fortune of starring early-career Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger, but it services neither headliner well in a convoluted and cheap-looking slasher that doesn't live up to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre legacy.
Synopsis: More of an updated remake than a sequel to 1974's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this slasher outing again centers on one...
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#41
Adjusted Score: 18.219%
Critics Consensus: Dull, maudlin, and fundamentally empty, The Sea of Trees extinguishes the contributions of a talented cast and marks a depressing low point in director Gus Van Sant's career.
Synopsis: The film follows Arthur Brennan (McConaughey) trekking into Aokigahara, known as the Sea of Trees, a mysterious dense forest at...
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#40
Adjusted Score: 20.048%
Critics Consensus: Instead of being light and charming, this romantic comedy is heavy-handed and contrived in its execution. Also, it's too unoriginal.
Synopsis: This lighthearted romantic comedy in the tradition of Runaway Bride (1999) casts Jennifer Lopez in the Julia Roberts mold. Lopez...
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#39
Adjusted Score: 27.562%
Critics Consensus: Go then, there are other Stephen King adaptations than these.
Synopsis: There are other worlds than these. Stephen King's The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the...
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#38
Adjusted Score: 28.046%
Critics Consensus: A high-concept mystery with a twist, Serenity isn't what it appears to be at first -- unfortunately, it's also not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as it thinks.
Synopsis: From the creative mind of Oscar nominee Steven Knight comes a daringly original, sexy, stylized thriller. Baker Dill (Academy Award...
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#37
Adjusted Score: 25.246%
Critics Consensus: Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two for the Money's aimless plot isn't worth betting on.
Synopsis: D.J. Caruso's Two for the Money stars Matthew McConaughey as Brandon Lang, a former college quarterback whose life plans changed...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 28.936%
Critics Consensus: The few comic gags sprinkled throughout the movie fail to spice up this formulaic rom-com.
Synopsis: A overgrown mama's boy who hasn't found the courage to take flight from the nest gets a little help from...
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#35
Adjusted Score: 32.307%
Critics Consensus: A retread of A Christmas Carol, featuring Matthew McConaughey in a retread of his Dazed and Confused role, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past lacks originality, humor, and any semblance of charm.
Synopsis: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -- the Mark S. Waters-directed fusion of A Christmas Carol with a traditional romantic comedy --...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 6.621%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Matthew Bright directs the romantic comedy Tiptoes, written by Bill Weiner. Rolfe (Gary Oldman) is a dwarf, but his brother...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 34.06%
Critics Consensus: A queasy mishmash of poignant drama and slapstick fantasy, Angels in the Outfield strikes out as worthy family entertainment.
Synopsis: Updated from the 1951 film of the same name, Angels In The Outfield takes liberties with the original to bring...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 43.871%
Critics Consensus: A mindless adventure flick with a preposterous plot.
Synopsis: Matthew McConaughey stars as explorer and adventurer Dirk Pitt in this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Clive Cussler. Pitt...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 46.789%
Critics Consensus: Reign of Fire gains some altitude with its pyrotechnic action and a smolderingly campy Matthew McConaughey, but the feature's wings are clipped by a derivative script and visual effects that fizzle out.
Synopsis: In present-day London, twelve-year-old Quinn watches as his mother, a construction engineer inadvertently wakes an enormous fire-breathing beast from its...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 46.052%
Critics Consensus: Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson are charming together, but they can't overcome How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' silly premise and predictable script.
Synopsis: Two New Yorkers fight the battle of the sexes to a standstill (without entirely realizing it) in this romantic comedy....
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#29
Adjusted Score: 49.466%
Critics Consensus: Gold boasts an impressively committed performance from Matthew McConaughey, but it's just one glittering nugget in an otherwise uneven heap of cinematic silt.
Synopsis: TWC-Dimension presents GOLD, a Black Bear Pictures and HWY61 production directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Traffic) and...
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#28
Adjusted Score: 50.111%
Critics Consensus: Trashy and melodramatic, The Paperboy is enlivened by a strong cast and a steamy, sordid plot, but it's uneven and often veers into camp.
Synopsis: A sexually and racially charged film noir from Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (Precious), The Paperboy takes audiences deep into the...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 54.064%
Critics Consensus: Free State of Jones has the noblest of intentions, but they aren't enough to make up for its stilted treatment of a fascinating real-life story.
Synopsis: Directed by four-time Oscar (R) nominee Gary Ross and starring Oscar (R) winner Matthew McConaughey, Free State of Jones is...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 51.921%
Critics Consensus: Matthew McConaughey almost runs We Are Marshall to the end zone, but can't stop it from taking the easy, feel-good route in memorializing this historic event in American sports.
Synopsis: A true story of tragedy, hope, and resilience comes to the screen in this sports drama. Huntington, WV, is home...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 60.694%
Critics Consensus: The role of a lifetime for Matthew McConaughey, The Beach Bum is set apart by Harmony Korine's distinctive style, but that isn't always enough to offset the unfocused story.
Synopsis: THE BEACH BUM follows the hilarious misadventures of Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 63.128%
Critics Consensus: Solid work from the cast - particularly a scene-stealing Matthew McConaughey - helps White Boy Rick make up for a number of missed opportunities in the script.
Synopsis: Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 65.5%
Critics Consensus: The Newton Boys uses a sharp cast and absorbing period detail to help make up for the frustrations of a story puzzlingly short on dramatic tension.
Synopsis: Richard Linklater's fifth feature is a major departure from his previous work -- his first big-budget picture, it's also the...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 69.795%
Critics Consensus: Contact elucidates stirring scientific concepts and theological inquiry at the expense of satisfying storytelling, making for a brainy blockbuster that engages with its ideas, if not its characters.
Synopsis: She's known it since she was a young girl, when she would magically connect with distant voices on her father's...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 65.406%
Critics Consensus: If it's not as ambitious as The Truman Show in satirizing the voyeuristic nature of television, EdTV is an amiable, witty comedy with fine performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
Synopsis: The turning point in the life of Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey) comes thanks to the misfortunes of the NorthWest Broadcasting...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 70.758%
Critics Consensus: Overlong and superficial, A Time to Kill nonetheless succeeds on the strength of its skillful craftsmanship and top-notch performances.
Synopsis: Carl Lee Hailey takes the law into his own hands after the legal system fails to adequately punish the men...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 70.822%
Critics Consensus: Excellent cinematography and an interesting plot accompanied by a talented cast and crew make U-571 a tense thriller.
Synopsis: In this World War II action thriller, American reconnaissance agents learn that a German submarine is sinking. The doomed ship...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 87.092%
Critics Consensus: Interstellar represents more of the thrilling, thought-provoking, and visually resplendent filmmaking moviegoers have come to expect from writer-director Christopher Nolan, even if its intellectual reach somewhat exceeds its grasp.
Synopsis: With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 78.979%
Critics Consensus: Sing delivers colorfully animated, cheerfully undemanding entertainment with a solid voice cast and a warm-hearted -- albeit familiar -- storyline that lives up to its title.
Synopsis: A koala impresario stages a grand singing competition for the world's animals in order to save his elegant theater in...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 86.608%
Critics Consensus: It may not win writer-director Guy Ritchie many new converts, but for those already attuned to the filmmaker's brash wavelength, The Gentlemen stands tall.
Synopsis: THE GENTLEMEN follows American expat Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 75.651%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In the tradition of Fried Green Tomatoes, this touching drama focuses upon the relationships of three strong, independent women who...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 78.087%
Critics Consensus: Creepy and disturbing, Frailty is well-crafted, low-key horror.
Synopsis: Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 80.652%
Critics Consensus: Heartfelt without resorting to preachiness, Amistad tells an important story with engaging sensitivity and absorbing skill.
Synopsis: In the summer of 1839, on a stormy night off the coast of Cuba, 53 Africans held captive in the...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 90.346%
Critics Consensus: Funny, self-referential, and irreverent to a fault, The Wolf of Wall Street finds Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio at their most infectiously dynamic.
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese directs the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort. From the American dream to corporate greed, Belfort goes...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 86.157%
Critics Consensus: Violent, darkly comic, and full of strong performances, Killer Joe proves William Friedkin hasn't lost his touch, even if the plot may be too lurid for some.
Synopsis: When 22 year-old drug dealer Chris (Hirsch) has his stash of drugs stolen from him by his mother, he has...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 86.957%
Critics Consensus: Magic Mike's sensitive direction, smart screenplay, and strong performances allow audiences to have their beefcake and eat it too.
Synopsis: Set in the world of male strippers, Magic Mike is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum in a...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 91.814%
Critics Consensus: With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late Summer comedy.
Synopsis: Ben Stiller's satirical look at Hollywood, Tropic Thunder concerns the production of an epic Vietnam War film that quickly derails...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 86.433%
Critics Consensus: Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is an intelligent and poignant look at lives intersecting.
Synopsis: A group of people live their separate lives, unaware of the subtle interconnections that bring them together. There's a cocky...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 88.306%
Critics Consensus: It doesn't offer any twists on the predictable courtroom thriller formula, but with a charming Matthew McConaughey leading its solid cast, The Lincoln Lawyer offers briskly enjoyable entertainment.
Synopsis: Matthew McConaughey stars in this legal thriller as a low-rent defense attorney named Mickey Haller. Most of the time, Mickey...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 93.99%
Critics Consensus: Richard Linklater's Bernie is a gently told and unexpectedly amusing true-crime comedy that benefits from an impressive performance by Jack Black.
Synopsis: In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town's most beloved...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 96.582%
Critics Consensus: Featuring an excellent ensemble cast, a precise feel for the 1970s, and a killer soundtrack, Dazed and Confused is a funny, affectionate, and clear-eyed look at high school life.
Synopsis: Like George Lucas' American Graffiti, Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is an affectionate look at the youth culture of a...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 102.353%
Critics Consensus: Dallas Buyers Club rests squarely on Matthew McConaughey's scrawny shoulders, and he carries the burden gracefully with what might be a career-best performance.
Synopsis: Matthew McConaughey stars in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose free-wheeling life was overturned in 1985...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 96.222%
Critics Consensus: Smart and absorbing, Lone Star represents a career high point for writer-director John Sayles -- and '90s independent cinema in general.
Synopsis: A small town Texas sheriff who is living in the shadow of his legendary father prods an investigation no one...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 103.857%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a strong performance from Matthew McConaughey in the title role, Mud offers an engaging Southern drama that manages to stay sweet and heartwarming without being sappy.
Synopsis: Mud is an adventure about two boys, Ellis and his friend Neckbone, who find a man named Mud hiding out...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 105.515%
Critics Consensus: Kubo and the Two Strings matches its incredible animation with an absorbing -- and bravely melancholy -- story that has something to offer audiences of all ages.
Synopsis: Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever,...
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