He’s handsome of face, curly of hair, dimpled of cheek and half naked in his new movie.
We haven’t seen him in a while, but we’re seeing a lot of Matthew McConaughey now; he’s back in a big way and gracing the silver screen three times this year.
Frailty, a psychological thriller, hits theaters this week; 13 Conversations about One Thing comes out in May; and Reign of Fire is on the schedule for July (a seemingly appropriate title for a hot guy on the screen in a hot, summer month).
Aside from the fact we love Mr. McConaughey for his looks and charm, we must put on our critical caps every once in a while, too. This time we’re wondering if McConaughey has lived up to his potential in the volatile land of Hollywood–the way he once mentioned he’d like to.
The Desire
Flashback to August 1996. McConaughey was beginning to get his share of the celebrity spotlight with his summer film A Time to Kill. About that time he told Vanity Fair, “I want to [make movies] where a father can take his son and point up at the screen and go, ‘Watch him! He’s good in this. He’s a good man.'”
Six years later, has McConaughey fulfilled his wish?
In terms of films appropriate to a father/son outing, well, yeah, he’s had his share of PG or PG-13 films dads and sons would feel OK about watching together, including a western (The Newton Boys), an philosophical beauty (Contact) and a pretty intense war flick (U-571).
But what about the latter part of his desire: to be “good?” Now that’s debatable.
Good Enough?
There are lots of definitions McConaughey might have been thinking of when he used the generic word “good.”
After all, the Texas-born “good” ol’ boy has been referred to as “the kind of guy every mother would like their daughter to marry” by A Time to Kill director Joel Schumacher. (Schumacher caught some flack for casting McConaughey–a virtually unknown actor at the time–as the lead in that film.)
That’s certainly “good.” And McConaughey hasn’t tarnished that reputation yet.
But then again, McConaughey may have been referring to “good” as bankable, “good” by association or just a “good” actor, generally.
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Bringin’ Home the Bacon
If he meant bankable, then his progress has been like a bad diet: a steady resurgence of box office ups and downs.
Starting with up, A Time to Kill—McConaughey‘s first big Hollywood film by box office standards–grossed more than $108 million during its 1996 summer run in theaters, far overshadowing his next film, Lone Star, a downer that took his career nowhere with its box office crash, despite positive critical reviews. Making $13 million, McConaughey‘s agent was probably crossing his fingers that there would even be a next role.
But McConaughey‘s pattern continued in the way of the yo-yo.
His comeback in the extra-worldly Contact put him back up, with box office earnings in the summer of 1997 again reaching more than $100 million. That same year, though, he slipped to neutral ground with Steven Spielberg‘s film Amistad, which nabbed a mediocre $43 million.
The Newton Boys (1998) was another downer, making just a smidge over $10 million in its domestic run, and 1999’s EDtv just came to the screen too late. Beat out by Jim Carrey‘s Truman Show (a film similar in genre and plot), it made a meager $22 million.
The summer of 2000, though, was a season of up again, and submarine thriller U-571 soaked more than $77 million from domestic moviegoers’ pocketbooks. Finally, last year’s The Wedding Planner pulled in more than $60 million.
Based on that trend, it’s time for another downswing. Let’s just hope Frailty can hold its own.
The Ladies Man
If McConaughey wasn’t talking about blockbusters when he wanted people to say he was “good,” then he may have been referring to himself as “good” with women. (Maybe it’s a stretch, but who knows, since he said it in the context of dads and sons, they would see things differently than dads and daughters).
Amidst all his bouncing box office figures, his leading ladies have been nothing short of sure-fire stars, complimenting him very “good,” too.
Among them: Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, Frances McDormand, Jodie Foster, Julianna Margulies, Jenna Elfman, Elizabeth Hurley and Jennifer Lopez.
Of course, gracing magazine covers is “good,” for female association, as well.
Recalling the first time he saw himself on the cover of Vanity Fair in the supermarket, he said he “picked it up, found the prettiest checkout girl and showed it to her. ‘Pretty good-looking guy, huh?'” he said.
(We never did find out what the girl’s response was…)
While upcoming Frailty doesn’t have too much eye candy in the female form, Polish actress Izabella Scorupco will star along side McConaughey in this summer’s Reign of Fire, and Kate Beckinsale will be added to the list when production starts for upcoming indie film, Tiptoes.
We might also mention–not that he’s starred in a movie with her–that word on the street has it McConaughey is dating Janet Jackson. She’s very good.
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Just Good
Of course, we may be looking too deeply into this whole “good” thing.
It’s only speculative to think McConaughey ever had a specific goodness in mind. Afterall, his aim may have been to encompass something good and watchable on the screen, for goodness sake.
And if we haven’t figured it out by now, A Time to Kill co-star Sandra Bullock had the foresight six years ago.
“He wants to make good points and send out good messages. They’re not always going to be pretty ones, but they’re ones that need to be said,” she told Rolling Stone magazine.
Good enough.
