McConaughey has his ups and downs in romantic comedies
A look at Matthew McConaughey’s resume on Internet Movie
Database reveals that he has had an eclectic career. He has played
a stoner, a crazy killer, and a civil rights lawyer, in an era long
before civil rights existed. But let’s face it. McConaughey is
mostly known for one thing
– he is forever the good-looking, fun-loving guy who doesn’t
know how to commit. Below is a recap of some of his best – and
worst – takes as the guy every girl wants.
McConaughey has his ups and downs in romantic comedies
A look at Matthew McConaughey’s resume on Internet Movie Database reveals that he has had an eclectic career. He has played a stoner, a crazy killer, and a civil rights lawyer, in an era long before civil rights existed. But let’s face it. McConaughey is mostly known for one thing – he is forever the good-looking, fun-loving guy who doesn’t know how to commit. Below is a recap of some of his best – and worst – takes as the guy every girl wants.
Ghost of Girlfriends Past
In his latest film, McConaughey plays just another variation on the character he’s played in at least half a dozen movies. In “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” he plays Connor Mead, a fashion photographer who falls into bed with every woman he meets. But Connor is in for more than he bargains for when he returns to his deceased uncle’s estate, where he and his younger brother grew up. His brother (Breckin Meyer) is about to marry Sandra (Lacey Chabert), and ladies man Connor thinks any kind of a commitment is a mistake.
Connor is forced to rethink his relationship choices when he starts seeing his dead Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). Uncle Wayne tells him he will be visited by three ghosts – the ghosts of girlfriends past, present and future. Connor is forced to face the things in his past that his memory has glossed over. That includes his feelings for Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner) his best friend as a kid and probably the only girl he ever really loved. Jenny, of course, happens to be around the estate for the wedding.
The movie lacks the charm of some of McConaughey’s other romantic comedies. The dialogue is poorly written and delivered, and Connor Mead really seems to lack any redeemable qualities that would make Jenny pine for him for years. Jennifer Garner does have a way with looking very hurt without saying a word out loud, though, and she comes across as the only one in the film with any acting chops.
Edtv
Some might say it was McConaughey’s turn in “Edtv” that opened the door to romantic comedies for him. In it, he plays Ed Pekumy, a yesteryear “Joe the plumber” who finds himself a reality TV celebrity. Ed is a video store clerk who has little ambition in life and no love life. When Ed accidentally reveals that his brother Ray (Woody Harrelson) is cheating on his girlfriend Shari (Jenna Elfman), Ed also reveals that he has feelings for Shari. But she doesn’t want to be part of his 24-7-on-the-air life and she wants him to get his life together before she will consider dating him.
The Wedding Planner
This is, perhaps, the last romantic comedy in which McConaughey plays a decent guy from the start of the movie. He plays Steve Edison, a pediatrician and all-around good guy, who makes the acquaintance of career-oriented wedding planner Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) when he treats her for a minor head injury. The two seem to connect, until Mary discovers that Steve is actually engaged to the high-level client who could make or break her career. Lopez and McConaughey have chemistry on screen. Adam Shankman, who knows how to draw out a laugh from audiences, directed the film.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
In this film, McConaughey plays a cad who is as full of himself as his character in “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” He is an ad executive who makes a bet with coworkers that he can get any girl to fall in love with him in 10 days. His coworkers choose Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) for him to woo, though he doesn’t know she has her own plans. She is a writer who is working on an article about how to lose a guy in 10 days, in which she plans to highlight all the annoying, crazy things some women do early on in relationships that drive men away. The movie is predictable, but it has a few laughs.
Failure to Launch
This film starts the descent into bad romantic comedies for McConaughey. In it he plays Tripp, a 30-something slacker, who lives with his parents and seems to have no plans of getting a job and moving out on his own. When his parents decide they want their home back, they hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to intervene. Paula has done it before – she has a formula for getting men to move out and making it seem like their own idea. But things go wrong when she starts to fall for Tripp. The supporting characters fail to do their jobs in the film, and it’s not really that funny.
Fool’s Gold
Kate Hudson and McConaughey pair up in this film as exes who team up for an undersea treasure hunt. Ben (McConaughey) is in debt to a murderous rap star and he needs to find the riches to save his life. The movie is so bad, I didn’t even finish watching it.
