It is sad to admit that Matthew McConaughey is probably the symbol of anti-diversity (I’m not even sure if this is a word but you get the point). I hadn’t even conciously thought about it until I saw a  funny blog post about his romantic comedies, the latest being Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. The post was about how all his movies and their posters were alike. Although romantic comedies might follow a certain formula, they follow (almost) different routes on how characters get to be together in the end. The similarity of the posters, though, make me laugh. You can check out the link below:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/matthew-mcconaugheys-next-10-movies/

However, I am not sure I would go that far to thrash the guy. Because frankly, his name does attract me to a romantic comedy. It is not that I’m expecting much, but I like his presence. Yes, it feels like he is playing the same character a lot. And yes, he doesn’t change his appearance either- (a part from the awful haircut he wore in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past- and that straight cut made him look old and kind of unattractive) . But if you don’t think he can act and/or he is just a pretty face, go see A Time to Kill. It is a John Grisham adaptation; and it is a beautiful movie. And trust me, Grisham is my favorite author and I hate the movies that don’t do his work justice. But it is a powerful movie, and Matthew is brilliant there. I’ll get back to this movie shortly.

The post I gave the link of above, also thrashes Kate Hudson. A friend of mine had the same complaint about her: that she can’t act; that she plays the same character in the same lousy way over and over again. But then again, how many ways are there to play similar, two-dimensional characters? Maybe, they really find the paychecks too nice to turn down the roles. Maybe they love the work that doesn’t challenge them. Or maybe they are simply not offered scripts that help them bring out their potential. Remember, Hudson had been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in Almost Famous. Hollywood is a tricky place to be in. I never see anyone doubting Gary Oldman’s talent. Yet even he has complained that he is hardly offered scripts that he loves.

And as for romantic comedies, why shouldn’t we have them? Where there is demand, there has to be supply. Economics 101, guys! Of course not all the examples of the genre are good. But they help you escape real life problems and it is nice to watch lives that are easily sorted out for a change.

Now, if you want to see Matthew act; and act him well at a good drama at that:

Plot: Mississippi,1990s. Two rednecks rape a 10 year-old, African American girl. They are arrested but there is a chance they might not get a life sentence or even get away with it. The father loses it, and kills the men on the trial day. Now the father is the defendant. He is defended by his white lawyer friend Jake (McConaughey). You are with the father all the way. The thing so powerful about the story is, it feels so real. It kicks you in the gut. Because John Grisham based it on a real life case. You see, Grisham himself is a lawyer. One day at court, he is hearing in on a similar case- a little girl has been raped. John is a father too, so he puts himself  in the father’s shoes, not being able to help it. And he thinks that he would want to shoot them down- and he probably would try. The story is gripping. Yet Grisham added another conflict by making the criminals white, and the victims Black; adding inevitable racism issues. The fact that the man’s lawyer also has a family- a wife and a little girl- and they get threatened by racist groups does not make things easier…Oh and of course the morality issues. Is it OK to take matters into your own hands? Hell, it is easy to give a lecture on what is right or wrong unless it is personal.

Go see A Time to Kill. You have seen the cast on the poster: Sandra Bullock (Jake’s assistant), Samuel L. Jackson (the father), Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey ( as the District Attorney) and Ashley Judd (as Jake’s wife).  And let’s keep our fingers crossed that Matthew acts in more movies like this…