McConaughey is absolutely more than abs

After a string of fluffy rom-coms ("Failure to Launch," "The Wedding Planner") and mindless actioners ("Reign of Fire," "Sahara"), it was hard to regard Matthew McConaughey as more than prime Texas beef with a well-chiseled six-pack. But over the past two years, he's become a darling of critics, thanks to these complex performances.

KILLER JOE (2011) -- As a Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer, McConaughey earns kudos from critics, including Newsday's Rafer Guzmán, who found him "charming, funny and repellent all at once."

BERNIE (2012) -- "The actor wears the role of good ol' boy-political opportunist as comfortably as the boots and Stetson," the Los Angeles Times wrote of McConaughey's amusing turn as a showboating Texas DA in this black comedy.

MAGIC MIKE (2012) -- McConaughey steals the show as the slick, fast-talking owner of a club featuring male strippers. He also gets to show off his abs -- and more -- during a striptease to KISS' "Calling Dr. Love."

MUD (2012) -- As a Boo Radley-ish loner living on the bayou in this noirish thriller, McConaughey's powerful performance inspired The Washington Post to note "the boy with the bedroom eyes and bong-hit grin is a real actor, after all."