CONTACT spoiled by MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY's performance

Rating: 2/10 (13 March 2002)

I thought the film was fine until it became clear that our boy Matthew McConaughey was going to play such a significant role in it. I had the distinct impression that Tom Skerrit held Matthew in contempt--see the film and judge for yourself. And by that I mean Skerrit the ACTOR held McConaughey the...actor...in contempt.
Notice in the ONE scene where Jodie Foster and McConaughey kiss, they're about 4 inches from kissing when Foster blocks our view with her hand so we don't see their lips actually TOUCHING. Would any one of the great modern actresses want a record of herself kissing Pauly Shore? Would you? Foster probably couldn't go through with it, and you can't blame her for not wanting there to be a record of it on film.....
Similarly in their bedroom scene together McConaughey lies in bed like he's posing for GQ; Foster, to her credit, plays the scene well, and convinces you they'd made love and she'd had fun. McConaughey looked like he'd been admiring himself on Larry King the whole time.....
Later, when Foster leaves a Congressional committee investigation where she'd been grilled by skeptical Enron-enriched Republican congressmen, she sees her beloved Matthew standing alone in the hallway. She runs to him, throws her arms around him, and tells him how happy she is to see him again; McConaughey doesn't move, he barely acknowledges her at all. He looks like he's posing for a statue--THE STATUE OF LIMITATIONS. Little wonder that in end-of-the-year polls in ESQUIRE and THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, McConaughey was voted 'WORST ACTOR OF THE YEAR' for CONTACT in both publications and, understandably (and significantly), 'WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR' for Speilberg's AMISTAD in the ENQUIRER. By his PEERS, no less!