# Matthew McConaughey is a terrible actor! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859 "2018-11-01T20:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/41 "2018-11-05T18:26:44Z")
I liked him in eastbound and down… ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/42 "2018-11-05T18:30:52Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > Alright alright alright. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/43 "2018-11-05T18:38:44Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I thought he was great in _True Detective_ and _Mud_. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Loved Mud. That was a gem. And not to take anything away from MM, but the kid who played [Neckbone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lofland) was phenomenal, and he was recruited locally from the area where it was filmed. He wasn’t an import from Hollywood or NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/44 "2018-11-05T18:44:19Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > …He often \*does \* play the same character in most of his movies but _Dallas Buyer’s Club_ shows the man can truly act. Thirded. Also see _The Lincoln Lawyer_ and _Interstellar_ - very, very different movies, in which he clearly plays different characters, and does it well. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/45 "2018-11-07T16:38:14Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > This. He often \*does \* play the same character in most of his movies but _Dallas Buyer’s Club_ shows the man can truly act. Definitely Oscar worthy. And that same year he was Hilarious in Wolf of Wall St.–stole the restaurant scene from the “star,” Dicaprio. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/46 "2018-11-07T16:55:44Z")
> [@DB\_Coopa](#): > > Is is just me or does anyone else think he’s just an annoying mumbling wreck of an actor? It’s just you. Unless you would like to add actual critique to your OP. Which choices were questionable? Preferably backed up with references to specific scenes across multiple pieces of work. I’d also like examples across multiple works that his diction is sub par or that he lacks other physical acting abilities. If you make an assertion back it up. The way we discuss acting on here in general annoys me but this is sort of over the top. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/47 "2018-11-07T18:00:24Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > It’s just you. > > Unless you would like to add actual critique to your OP. > > Which choices were questionable? Preferably backed up with references to specific scenes across multiple pieces of work. > > I’d also like examples across multiple works that his diction is sub par or that he lacks other physical acting abilities. > > If you make an assertion back it up. > > The way we discuss acting on here in general annoys me but this is sort of over the top. No, it’s not just **DB Coopa**. I happen to agree (in most cases) and any one of his [Lincoln commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEAA94FjHc&list=RD8QEAA94FjHc&start_radio=1&t=46)is a good example. Not sure why you’re so hacked off at **DB’s** comments but this isn’t General Questions and there’s no requirement to “back up his assertion”. Jeez, he’s just expressing an opinion:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/48 "2018-11-07T19:45:27Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > No, it’s not just **DB Coopa**. I happen to agree (in most cases) and any one of his [Lincoln commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEAA94FjHc&list=RD8QEAA94FjHc&start_radio=1&t=46)is a good example. > > Not sure why you’re so hacked off at **DB’s** comments but this isn’t General Questions and there’s no requirement to “back up his assertion”. Jeez, he’s just expressing an opinion:dubious: Because the level of criticism and critique on the SDMB seems to have fallen dramatically from what was once pretty good and interesting discussion and genuine criticism to “I don’t like it, it sux” which is not actually anything. It’s not just the SDMB but it happens here a lot. While you are entitled to your opinion, you really should back it up if you plan to express it at the very least. What about his choices in his Lincoln commercials do you think are sub par? What is he doing badly? Is your complaint that they are lazy in comparison to his other works to other actors doing similar things? Yeah, it may not be GQ but if you are going to make sweeping statements you should be prepared to back them up. There isn’t even a conversation happening here. So, I’m not hacked off at DB in particular but at this trend in general. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/49 "2018-11-07T19:58:03Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Because the level of criticism and critique on the SDMB seems to have fallen dramatically from what was once pretty good and interesting discussion and genuine criticism to “I don’t like it, it sux” which is not actually anything. It’s not just the SDMB but it happens here a lot. I think you’re either misremembering or misrepresenting. Do you have any examples of past threads where acting criticism was dramatically better than current threads? I mean, you did just make a sweeping statement. Are you prepared to back it up? ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/50 "2018-11-07T20:03:48Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Samuel L Jackson has accepted his typecast nature. But if you watch his films from before he became “Samuel L Jackson”, it’s clear that he can act very well as other characters. > > Cites: > A Time to Kill > The Long Kiss Goodnight McConaughey was very good in _A Time To Kill_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/51 "2018-11-07T20:05:03Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Because the level of criticism and critique on the SDMB seems to have fallen dramatically from what was once pretty good and interesting discussion and genuine criticism to “I don’t like it, it sux” which is not actually anything. It’s not just the SDMB but it happens here a lot. > > While you are entitled to your opinion, you really should back it up if you plan to express it at the very least. > > What about his choices in his Lincoln commercials do you think are sub par? What is he doing badly? Is your complaint that they are lazy in comparison to his other works to other actors doing similar things? > > Yeah, it may not be GQ but if you are going to make sweeping statements you should be prepared to back them up. There isn’t even a conversation happening here. > > So, I’m not hacked off at DB in particular but at this trend in general. Fair enough. I mentioned some of the reason I often dislike him in my earlier post and we can add the fact that his speaking voice is really distracting / unpleasant to me. \* Mumbling\* might not be the perfect descriptor but that’s partly it. As for the Lincoln commercial, I think it’d be obnoxious regardless of who was delivering the ridiculous lines. Coupled with his annoying voice, it’s sort of like an SNL fake commercial (in fact I think they parodied it). I do agree that a conversation is much more interesting when a little “color” is provided. I guess I understood \*\* DB’s\*\* sentiment because I was projecting my own. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/52 "2018-11-07T20:29:45Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I think you’re either misremembering or misrepresenting. Do you have any examples of past threads where acting criticism was dramatically better than current threads? > > I mean, you did just make a sweeping statement. Are you prepared to back it up? You know, I’m willing to admit that it might never have been good and that my past memory is colored by nostalgia for a bygone time. Even if that’s true, there is no reason why it can’t be better starting today! WOOKINPANUB’s post just after this is a step in the right direction. But no, objectively McConaughey isn’t a terrible actor. I have worked with terrible actors. I’ve also gone to see a lot of low rent theater and community theater projects as well as high school and elementary school theater and college film class projects that have genuinely terrible actors. McConaughey is frequently a lazy actor. I would agree that the Lincoln commercials show a distinct lack of effort on his part. But he makes choices, usually appropriate ones and always consistent ones. He can deliver lines with something approximating clear diction usually, and can vary his vocal patters and inflection and rate of speach in an appropriate way. He moves well without a lot of unnecessary ticking or shuffling and has the ability to use his body to underline his acting choices rather than having to fight his physicality to pull off said choices. He’s not a terrible actor. He’s fine. You might not like him. That’s not the same. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/53 "2018-11-07T23:07:41Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > WOOKINPANUB’s post just after this is a step in the right direction. As far as I can tell, her post just after that is merely restating her previous contributions in this thread. > [@](#): > > He’s not a terrible actor. He’s fine. You might not like him. That’s not the same. I personally agree that he’s a fine actor. Loved him in Frailty, Killer Joe, Mud, True Detective, We Are Marshall, and I’m sure others that I’m forgetting. My only post in this thread (before this one) was taking umbrage with your blanket characterization of Cafe Society discussions about actors. I do agree that when he hams up his McConaughey-ness it can be a bit much, and he does it in a lot of movies. (The Dark Tower being the most recent that I recall.) So I can definitely see where the OP is coming from. But the man can definitely act when he wants to. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/54 "2018-11-07T23:18:52Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I personally agree that he’s a fine actor. Loved him in Frailty, Killer Joe, Mud, True Detective, We Are Marshall, and I’m sure others that I’m forgetting. My only post in this thread (before this one) was taking umbrage with your blanket characterization of Cafe Society discussions about actors. Poor writing style on my part. My “you” was generic not specific. Apologies. Anyway…back to the thread. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/55 "2018-11-08T00:57:38Z")
It’s funny because I was watching _Basic Instinct_ the other day, and I thought, “Wow, Sharon Stone is a terrible actress.” I think that the edginess of the film (at the time, anyway) and her beauty somehow masked that fact when I first watched it. Anyway, re MM: I think he was great in _True Detective_ and _A Time to Kill_. He was horrible in the rom com with Kate Hudson, whose title I’m too lazy to look up. (Does it really matter?) I can’t tell if he’s being tongue-in-cheek on the Lincoln ads or if he’s really trying to be uber-cool. If it’s the latter, then he needs to get over himself before he turns into Tom Cruise, who is President, Vice-President, and Secretary of his own fan club. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/56 "2018-11-08T10:41:11Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > He was horrible in the rom com with Kate Hudson, whose title I’m too lazy to look up. (Does it really matter?) Which one? It doesn’t matter at all, but that answer (Which one?) is the equivalent to “He’s calling from _inside the house!_” You mean they made _more than one?!_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/57 "2018-11-08T12:01:32Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Which one? > > It doesn’t matter at all, but that answer (Which one?) is the equivalent to “He’s calling from _inside the house!_” You mean they made _more than one?!_ HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS pulled in $177 million on a $50 million budget after debuting at #1. So why _wouldn’t_ you then put them in a second romcom? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/58 "2018-11-08T13:14:57Z")
So I finally was arsed to look up the Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey movie that I thought was terrible…and it turns out it wasn’t Kate Hudson, but Sarah Jessica-Parker in “Failure to Launch.” It’s sad when a movie is so bad that you cannot even recall the lead actress. It apparently grossed $128M on a $50M budget, but happily we were spared the sequel. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859/59 "2018-11-08T13:40:11Z")
I shall now lower my head in shame and admit that \* How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days\* is one of my favorites. Well, of that genre. And really just the first half :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matthew-mcconaughey-is-a-terrible-actor/823859.md?page=2)