The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland List: Matthew McConaughey Performances

How often do you sit there thinking about what to watch? You might have an endless watchlist that keeps piling up (I certainly have one myself). Sometimes you are just in the mood for a type of film or a certain filmmaker or actor and want to take yourself into a deep dive. As someone who watches so many movies, I have people asking me for recommendations all the time. One of the best feelings as a cinephile is recommending a film and that person loves it. Take this wealth of cinematic knowledge and experience and enjoy some recommendations on me. Genre. Subgenre. Filmmaker. Actor. Composer. Writer. Genre. Story. Trope. Cliché. Any other cinematic elements or them. Here is The Wasteland List:   

Matthew McConaughey Performances

Dazed and Confused (1993)

What is the role that created the persona that we all know and love for McConaughey? Richard Linklater’s slice of life comedy gives everyone space to live these high school characters and McConaughey’s older stoner dude is the most memorable character in the whole lot. The quotable lines alone make this performance so iconic. “Alright, alright, alright!”

A Time to Kill (1996)

Wait…McConaughey played another serious lawyer role before The Lincoln Lawyer launched the “McConaissance”? This Joel Schumacher directed, John Girsham adaptation gives McConaughey a leading character that has plenty of charisma to show off but also emotional depth. This is one of his first roles that allowed him to show off some genuine depth and emotion while he defends a vengeful father on trial.

Amistad (1997)

How about an earlier dramatic role that is a little more serious? Steven Spielberg’s Amistad is a courtroom drama centered around the horrors of slavery and McConaughey is back playing another lawyer (seems like a common role for him). A more reserved performance that gives a different side to this man’s talents.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

McConaughey could be funny in non-romcoms, right? Ben Stiller’s satire on big budget filmmaking is full of hilarious turns with McConaughey getting a nice slice of those laughs. His performance is much more aligned with his cool man persona but his drive to get his man his TIVO is one of the best running gags of the film.

Bernie (2011)

What is one of McConaughey’s most underseen and underappreciated performances? Linklater brings back one of his original players but this time as a frustrated and comically agitated district attorney trying to take down a local mortician for murder. The character work that McConaughey delivers in Bernie is excellent; his performance is an absolute delight to see.

Killer Joe (2011)

How often do we get to see McConaughey play a real bad character? Not enough if what Killer Joe offers is any indication. This is a brutal film that earns its NC-17 rating and William Friedkin’s Killer Joe offers McConaughey quite the horrific and scary character which he acts the hell out of.

Mud (2012)

What is that role that truly solidified McConaughey as a dramatic player in the acting game? Mud is an American Gothic crime thriller that is exquisite with McConaughey as the titular criminal on the run. There are so much grit and power in his performance that this is one of the must-see turns of his career.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

What is the role that gave McConaughey the biggest recognition of his career? Dallas Buyers Club sees McConaughey waste away to almost nothing physically and dig deeper than ever emotionally. The performance is still swaggering but the deconstruction of his persona here is powerful.

Interstellar (2014)

What is the role that shows just how deeply emotional McConaughey can take his acting chops? Christopher Nolan shut up his critics with a big bold beautiful science fiction epic with plenty of heart and emotion and McConaughey is the key to making Interstellar work. Watching McConaughey react to videos of his children is so powerful that it is worth the price of admission alone.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

What is the best voice role to check out from McConaughey’s filmography? Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings is one of the greatest animated films of the last decade and McConaughey offers a charming voice performance full of heart. His Himbo warrior is one of the shining lights of the film and McConaughey is so earnest in his committed portrayal.

The Gentlemen (2019)

Do you want to just enjoy seeing McConaughey being cool as hell and a complete badass? Guy Ritchie really knows how to show off his actors in his films, and The Gentlemen is a buffet of excellent character work. McConaughey’s big fish is brought to life with such sharp threads and an infinitely confident performance.

The Lost Bus (2025)

It has been a little while since McConaughey really showed up in much, hasn’t it? Well, Apple TV+ and Paul Greengrass have the grounded thriller for you to see McConaughey showing off his chops once again. The Lost Bus gives McConaughey the space to show off his range and depth with this true story brought to uncomfortable life on screen.

BONUS:

True Detective (2014)

Why is this a bonus if this is one of McConaughey’s most beloved performances? Generally (unless the topic specifically says otherwise) this article series is about film. True Detective is one of the best television series of the 2010s and McConaughey’s performance might be the best turn of his whole career.