Sunday, March 20, 2011

Is It Too Late for Matthew McConaughey to Be Taken Seriously? (New York Magazine)

Hailed as the second coming of Paul Newman with his breakout role as an earnest lawyer in A Time to Kill, it didn't take long for McConaughey to undermine that totally by presenting himself as an unserious, frequently shirtless ladies' man (both onscreen and off). This weekend, he'll try to recapture that initial promise as a shady attorney in The Lincoln Lawyer, but is it too late for McConaughey to reestablish himself as a real actor? To find out, we spoke to industry insiders to answer the question: If Matthew McConaughey were a stock, would you buy, sell, or hold? ...

When McConaughey was arrested in 1999 for playing bongos in the nude while stoned, it was jarring, since he'd just come off of serious films like Amistad and Contact. If he was busted for the same today, however, no one would bat an eye. It's a sign of just how much McConaughey has transformed himself in the public eye over the last decade — and maybe even an encouraging sign that it's always possible to change back, if he wants to.
I agree, though I would have advised him to take baby steps. Instead, he's playing a "an AIDS-afflicted medicine smuggler" in his next film, "The Dallas Buyer's Club." Not sure I'm ready to line up for that one, but I do know I haven't seen my last McConaughey film. "The Lincoln Lawyer" anyone?

Read the full article here.

And in a related post:
A Movieline Investigation: Is Matthew McConaughey Really Shirtless in Every Movie? Get the answer to that age-old question here.

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