Gold Trailer Shows Matthew McConaughey Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before

When Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, he lost an incredible amount of weight for the role. This time, he seems to be going the other way, gaining forty pounds for his role in Gold. In the film’s first trailer, we see a chubbier, schlubbier McConaughey trying to sell his way to success.

When McConaughey’s Kenny Wells teams up with an adventurous and dashing geographer (Edgar Ramirez), the pair begin their hunt for gold. Eventually, the pair find riches in Borneo, and Wells becomes an overnight success. His company eventually draws the attention of the FBI and the Indonesian military, and that’s only half the fun.

Gold is directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana), and also stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Wells’ loving wife. It’s loosely based on the true story of the Bre-X Mining Scandal of the 1990s, and may be a major awards contender in a year that still feels a little uncertain.

The backing of The Weinstein Company certainly suggests the film may have awards-season legs, as does the film’s release date. Gold hits theaters on Christmas Day, when it will begin to fight for its own form of (Oscar) gold. Until then, check out the first trailer above.