Movie Review - Mud
Mud is a not-quite-coming-of-age-story. It centers on 14-year-old Ellis (Tye Sheridan), during the summer vacation before he starts high school, becoming aware of the complexities of adult life. His parents are going through a rough patch and he has his first (problematic) romantic relationship with a girl. Also, while looking with his best friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), for a boat reportedly beached in a tree by a recent flood, he runs into the enigmatic stranger Mud (Matthew McConaughey).
Mud is hiding out, on the run, on the island where the Ellis and Neckbone find the boat. He's there waiting for a chance to be reunited with his long-time on-off girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Mud enlists the boys to run errands on the mainland, helping him get food and other supplies he'll need to get away with Juniper.
Mud is a really interesting, complex character. He's not a good guy - he admits to that - but he's definitely not all bad either. There's a lot more to him than that though, from his personal brand of mysticism and superstition, through his strangely tangled relationship with Juniper, and more besides. He is the catalyst around which Ellis starts to grow up.
The relationship Ellis develops with Mud is his first proper friendship with an adult. Obviously it's not an entirely equal relationship. Mud certainly takes advantage of Ellis and Neckbone's respect for him, but he doesn't treat them like kids. He makes fair deals with them for their help. But this is the first time where Ellis is properly learning that the people around him have hidden agendas of their own.
It's really good.
I've seen quite a few reviews that rave over McConaughey's performance here. I'm a fan of McConaughey - he's played some really good parts in films like Contact, Reign of Fire[0] and The Lincoln Lawyer. He's a better actor than I think he often gets credit for, so while his performance here is very good, that doesn't particularly surprise me.
For me it's Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland that really stand out. Particularly Tye Sheridan, as the whole film focusses on and revolves around Ellis. It just wouldn't work at all if he, or Lofland as his ever-present best friend, hadn't been up to the task. They both do amazingly well here, and deserve whatever praise they get from reviewers more grandiose than I.
My one reservation is that this film is very slow. To be fair, it's not the kind of film you can rush. A lot of it is Ellis observing and taking in the things that are going on around him, and talking through events with people. That takes time. If writer/director Jeff Nichols had tried to cut corners, I don't think it would have worked. But it's 2h10m of carefully-paced plot, and it felt closer to 3 hours than 2.
If you only enjoy films which move at a breakneck pace and keep you charged with adrenaline, don't bother. If, on the other hand, you enjoy films about about complex people with complex relationships, or about starting to grow up and losing a childhood perspective when on the cusp of adulthood, this is definitely one to catch.
[0] Yes, that is a very silly film, but McConaughey stands out in it playing very well against type. He manages to go over the top, playing it straight.
Mud is hiding out, on the run, on the island where the Ellis and Neckbone find the boat. He's there waiting for a chance to be reunited with his long-time on-off girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Mud enlists the boys to run errands on the mainland, helping him get food and other supplies he'll need to get away with Juniper.
Mud is a really interesting, complex character. He's not a good guy - he admits to that - but he's definitely not all bad either. There's a lot more to him than that though, from his personal brand of mysticism and superstition, through his strangely tangled relationship with Juniper, and more besides. He is the catalyst around which Ellis starts to grow up.
The relationship Ellis develops with Mud is his first proper friendship with an adult. Obviously it's not an entirely equal relationship. Mud certainly takes advantage of Ellis and Neckbone's respect for him, but he doesn't treat them like kids. He makes fair deals with them for their help. But this is the first time where Ellis is properly learning that the people around him have hidden agendas of their own.
It's really good.
I've seen quite a few reviews that rave over McConaughey's performance here. I'm a fan of McConaughey - he's played some really good parts in films like Contact, Reign of Fire[0] and The Lincoln Lawyer. He's a better actor than I think he often gets credit for, so while his performance here is very good, that doesn't particularly surprise me.
For me it's Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland that really stand out. Particularly Tye Sheridan, as the whole film focusses on and revolves around Ellis. It just wouldn't work at all if he, or Lofland as his ever-present best friend, hadn't been up to the task. They both do amazingly well here, and deserve whatever praise they get from reviewers more grandiose than I.
My one reservation is that this film is very slow. To be fair, it's not the kind of film you can rush. A lot of it is Ellis observing and taking in the things that are going on around him, and talking through events with people. That takes time. If writer/director Jeff Nichols had tried to cut corners, I don't think it would have worked. But it's 2h10m of carefully-paced plot, and it felt closer to 3 hours than 2.
If you only enjoy films which move at a breakneck pace and keep you charged with adrenaline, don't bother. If, on the other hand, you enjoy films about about complex people with complex relationships, or about starting to grow up and losing a childhood perspective when on the cusp of adulthood, this is definitely one to catch.
[0] Yes, that is a very silly film, but McConaughey stands out in it playing very well against type. He manages to go over the top, playing it straight.