Review of Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey Rating **** 1/2
Some guys have all the luck. Some guys get all the breaks. Mathew McConaughey is the type of guy who Rod Stewart was talking about. Right place. Right time. It starts with an offer for a bit part in a movie. Add in an adlib line that becomes a catchphrase, and you have the makings of a superstar.
The last time I laughed as much as I did reading this memoir was when I read Joe Buck’s memoir. There is a lot of humor in the various stories told in this short book like the one year he spent as an exchange student in Australia. Then there is the story of how he was arrested for playing his bongo drums in his birthday suit.
As much as I enjoyed the many escapades, I would have liked more insight into the filmmaking side of his career. To be honest, I had no idea he had been in so many movies. I also would have liked to hear his viewpoint on some of his misses. Like the film Sahara. I thought that film was right up there with the best of the Indiana Jones franchise. If there is one McConaughey film that you haven’t seen but would like to see after reading this book, make it this one.
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can sure make life a little easier. Who wouldn’t want to go to South America to float on the Amazon just because you had a dream about it? Or drive across America in a souped-up Airstream RV and not have to worry about bills or schedules or any concern except your next hookup.
This is a quick read. I bought the audiobook but finished reading the book before I had a chance to listen to a single chapter. Besides the lack of film insight, there was a lot of emphasis on notes from his journal that didn’t add anything of note.