Mud continues the renaissance of Matthew McConaughey. Fresh off a stellar 2012 with Bernie, Killer Joe, and Magic Mike, McConaughey continues to refine his acting chops with Mud, which is a grimier version of characters he has played in the past. Mud is much more than its star though; the movie is actually a wonderful coming of age story for a country boy who wants to believe in true love. Even the quiet river waters of Arkansas contain teenage heartbreak.
Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are two Jr. High buddies who like to traverse their Arkansas river home. One day, they come upon an island in the middle of the river that has a boat in a tree they claim as their own. However, they find a man named Mud (McConaughey) is living in their boat. Mud is hiding there because of past indiscretion with his sweetheart’s (Reese Witherspoon) boyfriend. Ellis agrees to help Mud make contact with his beau because he just got his first crush and he found out his parents (Ray McKinnon and Sarah Paulson) are not happy in their marriage.
Setting is immediately established in Mud with a license plate, silence, rust, and rivers. The setting helps generate a lethargic pace for the story, which allows Mud to evolve gradually. The slow pace let’s the audience fully understand each of the boys (especially Ellis) and allows them to act without speaking. The pace changes dramatically in the third act, where the story becomes too action heavy. It feels like the director (Jeff Nichols) didn’t trust the audience to enjoy the evolving characters which disservices the first two-thirds of the film. It is intense and well executed, but unnecessary.
The strength of Mud is in the two young boys and Ellis’s evolution into adulthood. Ellis gets to behold many stages of love’s stranglehold and how it can change and evolve with time. Acts that help him get the girl can be the reason that she breaks up with him. He misinterprets gestures for showcases of commitment. He cannot comprehend how his parents could not love each other anymore, plus he receives conflicting advice from both of them. Mud’s steadfast devotion gives Ellls hope; Ellis’s commitment to Mud’s cause is juxtaposed by his best friend’s lack of understanding. In fact, the comparison of Ellis and Neckbone is a missed opportunity; maturation and stagnation between teens is ubiquitous and could have given Mud some added heft in its third act. Mud is actually a very slow bait and switch; you start of thinking this is Mud’s story, but in fact, it is Ellis’s.
If you can’t already tell, Tye Sheridan is wonderful as Ellis. Ellis is the character that changes the most, and Sheridan conveys all the highs and lows of being a kid with smirks and toughness. The scene where he snaps at Mud is the highlight of the film. Jacob Lofland is fine as Neckbone, the partner in crime; he is short-changed as the story goes on, when his chemistry with Sheridan is fun. McConaughey is great as the title character; he gets some cool monologues and plays it subdued and smoldering. Sam Shepard and Ray McKinnon are very good as a neighbor and Ellis’s dad respectively. Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, and Michael Shannon are underutilized and mostly wasted in the film; their roles needed to be excised or expanded.
Mud is a solid character study and coming of age story that teens and adults will both enjoy. The pain of unrequited love and the lack of justification are very relevant to most people, and Mud showcases those concepts in a very relatable way. One comment: people of the South are some of the most resourceful people I have ever seen. They take what materials they have and create some truly imaginative things. Who knew so many pearls existed in the rivers of Arkansas?