Do you remember the McConaissance? That halcyon time when Matthew McConaughey reinvented his career as a dramatic actor, won an Oscar, and starred in True Detective just before Peak TV swamped us with movie stars on TV shows? This week we revisit the McConaissance and take a look at the perfect storm of conditions that made it possible for Matthew McConaughey to reinvent his career after a string of bad movies, almost all of which happen to be romantic comedies. We talk about that, auteurs, whether or not McConaughey counts as a proto-Chris, WTF was Sea of Trees, and who, if anyone, could pull off their own version of the McConaissance. We start our episode with a discussion of McConaughey’s latest film, and a Hall Of Fame flop, Serenity.

Sarah’s review of Serenity (spoilers): https://www.laineygossip.com/serenity-starring-matthew-mcconaughey-and-anne-hathaway-movie-review-with-spoilers/51850

Kayleigh’s review of Velvet Buzzsaw: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/review-velvet-buzzsaw-is-scathing-art-world-satire-crossed-with-final-destination.php

Rachel Syme at The New Yorker (probably) coins The McConaissance: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-mcconaissance

Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway are mad their terrible movie flopped: https://www.indiewire.com/2019/01/mcconaughey-hathaway-furious-serenity-release-aviron-pictures-defends-1202040030/