Mud
With a mere $10 million production budget and a little-known director called Jeff Nichols, the movie “Mud” qualified as an indie film. But with characteristic style, noteworthy directing and adept acting from Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, “Mud” exceeded its expectations and was well worth the watch.
Two 14-year-old boys from Arkansas, Ellis and Neckbone, visit a deserted island while boating and venture into the nearby woods. It’s only a matter of minutes before they sight an anomaly: a boat, seemingly in good condition, resting high up on a tree’s branches. On their return trip to their own boat by the shore, they encounter Mud (played by McConaughey). He sports a lucky white shirt—for protection, he claims—and carries a pistol for bartering purposes.
“Mud” starts off slow, with a distinct contemplative flair. The first half-hour of the movie builds up unforced exposition and centers around the troubled family life of the two boys. Then, unexpectedly, the everyday consistency of life in the movie breaks loose and the storyline rockets forward after Ellis and Neckbone realize something unexpected: Mud had murdered a man to protect his lover Juniper (played by Witherspoon), and police and bounty hunters alike were competing to find him.
McConaughey’s performance was outstanding. It lends itself to McConaughey’s extreme flexiblility; from Wall Street businessman to firefighter, male stripper to NASA pilot, local pediatrician to widowed father. He has learned to perfect each and every role assigned to him. In “Mud,” he managed to be both gritty and emotional at the same time. Throughout the movie, his feelings and behavior felt genuine.
Nichols drew his inspiration from Mark Twain and, in doing so, created a Huckleberry/Tom Sawyer-like atmosphere. The boys have space to roam in a dangerous environment, to discover the world around them and in turn they learn to create mischief. They’re gutsy. They’re foolish. At one point, Ellis punches a high school senior in the face to “protect” the older May Pearl, the newfound love of his life.
As many great things as there are to say about this movie, one small complaint I had is that the aforementioned atmosphere made the storyline feel a bit tacky and overworked. In my opinion, it would have been better suited for a novel, where it is more appropiate and effective to create archetypes similiar to those of Ellis and Neckbone. That isn’t to say the plotline was ruined; it was still unpredictable and left me captivated.
The movie echoes the sentimentality of Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” except with a greater originality and stronger storyline. Mud forces Ellis and Neckbone to mature mentally and make life-endangering decisions while still keeping those at home in mind; Ellis’ parents are in the process of divorce and Ellis must find a compromise between helping a stranger survive and staying at home to support those who raised him.
With a near-perfect combination of drama, humor and action, “Mud” offers an all-around movie experience. Although burdened by a perhaps cluttered and forced plot, the movie never ceased to produce—the constant changing of pace left me thoroughly satisfied with the overall arch of the story. “Mud” is one of few movies I’ve watched that had the capability of reflecting a Mark Twain-esque childhood without sacrificing enthralling theatrics.