Project McConaughey Overview List

MCL5
Interstellar

MCL4
Contact

MCL3
We Are Marshall

MCL2
Failure to Launch

MCL1
Tropic Thunder

Project McConaughey, Report 1: Failure To Launch

Welcome to the re-launch of my science blog, which has been dormant for almost the same amount of time my child has been alive. Coincidence? I think not.

So, you're asking: what science news was so compelling that Silvershoes felt the need to get back to blogging? Answer: none. In fact, there is nothing serious about this post. I have developed a new hobby I'm calling Project McConaughey in which I rate the movies of the actor Matthew McConaughey on a five-level rating scale. This scale is inspired by my recent work in the atmospheric sciences and is loosely analogous to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane categories or NOAA's Space Weather Scales.

The McConaughey Scale is based on the Index of McConaugheyness (IM). Although the index is still under development, it depends on these three basic concepts

• The amount of time McConaughey is onscreen;
• The intensity of McConaughey Charisma being exuded;
• The extent to which said Charisma is being employed to affect the actions of another character.

I expect this definition to be refined as the project progress. It was developed based on my recollection of the movies Contact and Tropic Thunder, and also recent viewings of Interstellar and We Are Marshall. Each movie will be assigned a McConaughey Level (MCL) based on the IM of the movie. For  IM values sorted as [(1,2) (3,4) (5,6) (7,8) 9], the assigned MCL will [1 2 3 4 5], respectively. Based on recollection, I have assigned the following preliminary MCL's: Tropic Thunder, MCL1; We Are Marshall, MCL 3; Contact, MCL4; Interstellar, MCL5 (HE'S SAVING HUMANITY, PEOPLE).

It seemed appropriate to mark the official launch of this project with the 2006 McConaughey/Sarah Jessica Parker vehicle Failure To Launch. I don't intend to give a full review of each movie, but I do think we can gain some quick insight into the movie from the first and last images of McConaughey, so you can expect to see that for each entry. Here they are for Failure To Launch:

So in this movie, McConaughey plays not quite a lovable loser, but a "thirtysomething slacker," Tripp, who is still living at home. Sarah Jessica Parker's character Paula is hired by Tripp's parents to basically make him grow up by falling in love with her. Under the scientific principle "Garbage In, Garbage Out," the plot ends up as stupid and contrived as you might expect. Let's just say you'd probably have to pay me to make small talk with Tripp, too. Of course Paula "unexpectedly" falls in love with Tripp, leading to happily ever after and Tripp swimming with a frickin' dolphin. The chemistry between the two actors is middle school level at best. Really the only redeeming qualities of this movie are the supporting actors: Terry Bradshaw, who is quite funny as Tripp's wannabe bohemian dad, Kathy Bates, who plays Tripp's mom to perfection, and Zooey Deschanel, playing to type as Paula's wacky roommate. Given the lack of motivation of the character and his general mediocre appeal, the intensity of McConaughey Charisma of this movie remains pretty low throughout. Combined with the character's lack of motivation to do much of anything, the Index of McConaugheyness comes out to 4. That puts it at MCL2.

The master list for the project can be found here. 

Bonus for the initial post: this shot of Jim Carrey as Matthew McConaughey on Saturday Night Live. Nailed it.