Mud

Cast of Characters:
Mud - Matthew McConaughey
Ellis - Tye Sheridan
Tom Blankenship - Sam Shepard
Galen - Michael Shannon
King - Joe Don Baker
Senior - Ray McKinnon
Mary Lee - Sarah Paulson
Carver - Paul Sparks
Neckbone - Jacob Lofland
Juniper - Reese Witherspoon

Director - Jeff Nichols
Screenplay - Jeff Nichols
Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual reference, language, thematic elements and smoking

      Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award nominee Sam Shepard and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon star in the character driven southern drama, Mud. It’s been receiving rave reviews from everyone else. That being said, what’s my take on it?

      Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and “Neckbone” (Jacob Lofland) are your typical young, teenage, southern boys. They love to fish as well as go on adventures in Ellis’s motorboat, an everyday escape from the personal struggles his family is going through. His parents are on the verge of a divorce which would mean the deconstruction of their old river houseboat due to recently passed laws. One particular day, Ellis and Neckbone head out to a small, nearby island in search of a boat stuck in a tree. They find the boat as well as some fresh food inside it, meaning someone is recently occupying it. They head back to their boat to find the same boot prints that they found by the boat in the tree. That’s when they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey). Mud has been looking to reunite with his old girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) for some time now, but being that he is a fugitive wanted for an act of murder he sees as justified, it’s close to impossible for him to reunite out in public with her.

      The boys take a liking to Mud and vice versa, and Ellis manages to do what he can by bringing Mud food. In exchange, Mud promises to give the boys the boat in the tree. However, that promise falls flat when the police ramp up their search for Mud. Things grow more dangerous when the brother of the man Mud murdered, Carver (Paul Sparks), is in town to put a hit on Mud. Mud needs the boat, and asks the boys for help. In return for the help, which includes finding spare parts for the defunct boat, Neckbone wants Mud’s .45 pistol, a deal they both agree on. They also seek out the help of Tom Blankenship (Sam Shepard), an old father figure to Mud that lives across the river from Ellis. Tom at first wants nothing to do with Mud’s situation. In his mind, he can’t bring himself to help a fugitive wanting to reunite with a woman he feels has only brought Mud trouble.

      There’s no question Matthew McConaughey is a gifted actor. Unfortunately, more often than not, he has been cast in one too many chick flicks not worth your time let alone your money. Every now and then, though, he pulls out a gem of a performance. Here he gives what I believe to be a performance that’s nothing short of Oscar worthy. Perfectly cast as the title character, McConaughey, with greasy hair and dirt stained face, is both charming, quirky, crazy, yet most importantly empathetic. Despite the “fugitive from the law” storyline being no doubt a large part of the film, this is not your typical fugitive vs. the law showdown type of movie. This mostly focuses on the relationship between Mud and the two young teens (newcomers Sheridan and Lofland), both of which are genuinely terrific. Lofland, in particular, immediately struck up River Phoenix from Stand By Me comparisons. Character actor Sam Shepard gives a great supporting role as the man Mud looks up to most. While never a Reese Witherspoon fan myself, she still gives one of her best performances to date, and proves that her Oscar winning turn as June Carter in 2005's excellent Walk the Line was definitely not a fluke. There’s also small yet dependable supporting work from Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, and Michael Shannon - writer/director Jeff Nichols “go-to guy”. Overall, there’s a sweetness to this film that never comes close to running the risk of being emotionally manipulative or sentimentally sappy. Young and impressionable, Ellis personally experiences moment after moment that give him every right to believe love ain’t worth it and that it will only break you. It’s the grimy fugitive Mud though - of all people - that gets him to believe that in spite of inevitable moments that bring you down in life, love is still worth fighting for.

      Writer/director Jeff Nichols shows how much of an underrated talent he is, following both equally strong Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter with another character driven drama that’s part fugitive on the run and part coming-of-age tale. The characters are richly written and the story keeps you engaged from being to end. Never settling for unnecessary over-the-top moments, there’s a quiet tone throughout the film (similar to 2010's excellent Winter’s Bone) and the showdown happens at just the right moment and never runs further than it needs to be. Add to that David Wingo’s haunting, “southern swamp” score and Adam Stone’s exquisite cinematography that at times is downright beautifully hypnotic, this is an excellent film and one of the year’s best. With last year’s Killer Joe and Bernie, this film, as well as the upcoming Dallas Buyer’s Club, Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and next year’s Interstellar from Christopher Nolan, McConaughey’s proving he’s capable of more than being the guy that falls for Kate Hudson in just another dumb chick flick. Whether or not he's trying to shed his chick flick image, this is the McConaughey I love to see. I’ve waited all year to say this and it doesn’t come easy. I give Mud an A+ (★★★★).