The 16 Best Matthew McConaughey Movies

Matthew McConaughey has had one of Hollywood's most interesting career trajectories, evolving from rom-com heartthrob to serious dramatic actor and back to someone who picks projects that genuinely interest him. (Gives him more time to stand on the sidelines of UT games, I suppose.)

His body of work has resulted in some truly iconic roles. Here are 15 of his best films, ones that demonstrate his range across genres.

Dallas Buyers Club

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McConaughey delivers a transformative performance as Ron Woodroof, a homophobic electrician diagnosed with HIV who becomes an activist. The role required dramatic weight loss (he got down to about 135 pounds) and earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.

“Ron was an American original,” McConaughey told RogerEbert.com. “He shook a tree. He made a noise. I said, ‘I want to get this made, get Ron’s story told.'”

Mud

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McConaughey plays the title character here, a mysterious fugitive hiding on a Mississippi River island who befriends two teenage boys.

Director Jeff Nichols wrote the role specifically for McConaughey.

“I decided I wanted McConaughey to play Mud over a decade ago, before his onslaught of romantic comedies,” Nichols told The Skinny. “I saw him in John Sayles’ Lone Star—he plays a myth, a legend, but he adds such complexity to it, he takes it further. I needed Mud to be a guy you wanted to go back to and hang out with, despite the fact that he is strange, and speaks in a strange way."

Writing specifically for an actor you believe in can create magic, even if it takes years to get the project made.

The Lincoln Lawyer

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This drama follows a defense attorney who operates out of his Lincoln Continental, taking cases throughout Los Angeles.

"I spent some time with a few [defense attorneys]," he told Collider of his prep work. "I got a lot of information from a couple, in particular. I went in thinking that I was going to get something really specific, but it became more about watching them work and watching the movement. It was never anything specific. It was almost like they were bookies. They’re wheeling and dealing, haggling back and forth."

Bernie

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Based on a true story, this dark comedy features McConaughey as Danny Buck Davidson, the district attorney prosecuting beloved funeral director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) for murdering a wealthy widow. This is one of Linklater's best, in my opinion.

McConaughey told The Film Stage: "When he pitched the story and then I read it, I was pretty much on tone. I thought it was the funniest thing on paper that I read, that had his hand. I really thought it was very very funny. I always say there’s a bit of charm that you [Linklater] give to a place."

Magic Mike

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McConaughey plays the charismatic owner of a male strip club who mentors Channing Tatum's Mike. He's wonderfully odd in this one.

"I was very nervous, yeah," he said of the role (via Collider). "Before going out on the stage to dance, even if you're not taking your clothes off for everyone, is really kind of nerve-wracking. But then, knowing you've got to strip down, it's very nerve-wracking. Then, after doing it once, I wanted to get up there to do it again."

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

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This rom-com pairs McConaughey with Kate Hudson. He plays an advertising executive who bets he can make any woman fall in love with him, while she's secretly trying to drive him away. It's contrived but still a standout from his rom-com days.

Interstellar

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Of course we have to include Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic. McConaughey plays Cooper, a former NASA pilot turned farmer. The film blends hard science with emotional storytelling as Cooper grapples with leaving his children behind to save mankind.

A Time to Kill

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This was McConaughey's breakout role, an adaptation of John Grisham's novel. The film tackles racial injustice in the South with McConaughey delivering passionate courtroom speeches.

He told Variety he owes his whole career to Joel Schumacher and this film.

"Joel not only took a chance on me, he fought for me. Knowing the studio might never approve a relatively unknown like myself for the lead in A Time to Kill, he set up a secret screen test for me on a Sunday morning in a small unknown studio because, as he stated, ‘Even if you do great, you may not get the part, so I don’t want the industry to ever think you screen tested and did not get the job.'"

Contact

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In this science fiction drama, McConaughey plays Palmer Joss, a Christian philosopher and author who becomes romantically involved with scientist Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster). I love a good faith versus science tale, and this is a classic. Turns out, He was excited about the movie for the same reason (via Vulture).

"The fact that it proposed this paradox between science and religion, between science and belief, between science and faith, was a subject that I’d been interested in all my life. I wrote papers about it in college. My belief has always been that science is the practical pursuit of God."

Killer Joe

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This NC-17-rated black comedy thriller from director William Friedkin features McConaughey as Joe Cooper, a corrupt detective who moonlights as a contract killer. It's a disturbing and darkly funny film, but McConaughey is clearly willing to play unsympathetic characters.

"Order and structure and family are the three major things for Joe. Mind you, what he does can be very animalistic or horrific, but it's a business," the actor told The Film Stage.

We Are Marshall

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This true sports drama follows a coach's efforts to heal a grieving community through football while honoring those who died in a tragic accident.

"This is a 'Just Keep Living' story, a true story, no smoke and mirrors here," he told Movieweb. "There's a resonance that comes with knowing something is true, you can really go and sit more comfortably. The story, the truth, it's that much better."

The Wolf of Wall Street

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Although he only has a supporting role here, McConaughey shines as Jordan Belfort's hedonistic mentor. His chest-thumping lunch scene with Leonardo DiCaprio is iconic and helps set the tone and pace for the entire film.

"That's the movie," director Martin Scorsese said of the scene in his DP/30 interview.

One perfectly executed scene can define the rhythm and tone of an entire three-hour epic.

Sahara

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Who couldn't love McConaughey as a treasure hunter searching for a lost Civil War battleship in the African desert? This film didn't do well, but it was important to the actor.

"Seven years ago, I was lookin' for a franchise character," he told The Oklahoman. "I was lookin' for my Indiana Jones, my James Bond. ... Not every character do I want to go and say, 'Hey, I want to have the possibility of puttin' on those boots again three or four times.' This character I felt was organic to things that I like and the things I want to do, and it seemed like it was going to be a lot of fun, which it was."

Failure to Launch

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I bet you can remember the DVD cover to this one. McConaughey plays Tripp, a 35-year-old man living with his parents who becomes the target of an intervention involving a professional "motivator" (Sarah Jessica Parker).

During press for the film, he discussed why he liked rom-coms with ScreenSlam.

"We love a good drama. I love a good drama. It's nice to go deep on certain things, but it's also just as important in the work, and these things that I enjoy, to keep them light, to keep them buoyant. To not take certain things so seriously."

The Gentlemen

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Guy Ritchie's stylish crime caper allows McConaughey to lean into his smooth-talking charm while navigating a web of colorful criminals.

He said during press for the film that his first scene was his favorite day on set (via Smooth Radio).

“Because that’s when I got loose and understood how we were going to be shooting this film, because there was a lot of added dialogue and ideas coming in the middle of the take, of which I partook in quite a few of them.

“And that’s how a lot of the filming went for me. There was a lot of improvisation. There were a lot of rewrites during the day. And for me, on that day, I got game for anything.”

The best collaborations happen when directors create an environment where actors feel free to contribute creatively.

Dazed and Confused

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Obviously, we saved the best for last — well, maybe not the best necessarily, but definitely the most quotable. McConaughey's portrayal of Wooderson, the super cool older dude with that charming southern twang who still hangs out with high schoolers, is absolutely iconic. It's so iconic, in fact, that the actor still says the line when the mood strikes.

Let us know which Matthew McConaughey film is your favorite!