Mud (2013)
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Mud Movie Review
Mud is a 2013 coming-of-age drama film directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Matthew McConaughey and Tye Sheridan. It’s a familiar, but very well told tale.
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“She is like a dream you don’t want to wake up from“
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Ellis and Neckbone, two young men, chance upon a fugitive who is on the run from those out to get him. The boys decide to help the man and reunite him with his lover. On the surface, this movie is quite standard in its plot, but that is also its charm. It emulated the feel of ‘Tom Sawyer’ and good old-fashioned Americana and Southern storytelling while making it feel more contemporary and grounded in reality. It was a potent mixture that really worked.
Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar this year for another film, but this was probably a stronger performance. Both were excellent in what is one of the best years for an actor in this decade. He fitted the role like a glove with his Southern accent and rugged look and he also delivered a moving, powerful performance.
Another standout is Tye Sheridan. He would go on to get more solid roles in the future, but this was his big breakthrough. This is not just your regular child actor performance, but acting that could rival an adult, and sure enough he stood on his own with the much more experienced McConaughey by his side. It’s a wonderful role that is so well written and this boy is a very realistic kid.
Jacob Lofland was quite good as the other kid, though his role is significantly smaller. Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon and Reese Witherspoon were all very effective as minor, but important characters. All of these people were very believable for this region, making for one of the best representations of the South that you can find in movies.
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Mud is a lot in terms of genres and tones, maybe a bit too much at times. It is a coming-of-age story first and foremost and this is where it worked best. But it’s also a romance and a crime story and an adventure. All of these elements worked, but I wanted all of them to be more emphasized as the movie felt cluttered at times. But because it’s so versatile, it can be enjoyed by so many different types of people and this is its biggest strength. The dialogue is strong, though the overall plot is very familiar and far from exciting. Jeff Nichols directed this movie so well and he imbued it with so many strong cinematic touches from a solid score, fine cinematography and very good pacing throughout.
Mud is a universally appealing coming-of-age drama that includes adventure, crime and romance elements in abundance. This is a very familiar tale, but one that deftly mixed its old-fashioned Americana with more grounded, contemporary indie filmmaking. Matthew McConaughey was so well cast and he excelled playing the titular role, but Tye Sheridan was just as good in a child actor performance for the ages.
My Rating – 4
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