Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: A Review

“Greenlights” is Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey’s foray into another form of self-expression after lamenting the fact that although he was getting plum roles, he was not getting the viewership he was hoping for. Not that he is a bad actor…not at all… but the audience may be fickle and as you start aging out of your target market, it became his green light to reinvent himself.

I was not immediately hooked at the beginning of the story as he starts out philosophizing which may come across as self-righteous or profound, depending on the message and how the message is received. When he started to detail anecdotes of his growing up years and his struggles in the movie industry, his storytelling nature really shown through. The stories were vividly brought to life with his characterizations and attention to details which transport you to his summers pilfering lumber for a tree house or taking in the wonders of the Amazon or his treks in the sandy dusty terrain of Mali as he claims a wrestling belt to add to his shelf mantle of acting trophies–though to be fair, unlike the WWE, his wrestling match didn’t seem choreographed.

It was an intimate look, not just into McConaughey’s private life, but inside his ever-inquisitive mind. His “hustle” attitude and his determination to succeed is what truly put him out there and where he is now in his life–he did not stop at all the red lights in his life. His upbringing made him “tough” and he did not back down from challenges easily. He knew to identify the “greenlights” even if they may be red and yellow lights for others.

The book was entertaining as he launches into one anecdote and story after another. Honestly, I had some difficulty with the “insights” pages especially those that were written in longhand. it’s hard enough to digest the message without having to figure out what each word is. I can read cursive fine, but if they just made the font size bigger, it may have been easier to read.

If McConaughey aimed to entertain with his book, then it is a rousing success. With rumors swirling of him planning to run for Texas governor, publishing this book may possibly be a good jump-off point for his next reinvention move. However, his political musings at the end may only be welcomed by a limited fanbase. But knowing what we know now based on his book, this is probably just a green light for him to forge ahead and hustle the only way he knows how.