
Mud
3.5
(2.8K)
Drama
2013
130 min
PG-13
Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.
Starring:
Drama
Comedy
Romance
Thriller
Action
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"4½⭐/5⭐
+ A small, engaging drama that is part coming-of-age story, part crime with wonderful performances by Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Sam Sheperd, Sarah Paulson, and Ray McKinnon, and strong directing by Jeff Nichols (probably my second favorite of his, next to TAKE SHELTER). As with THE BIKERIDERS, Nichols takes from other similar movies, but unlike that film, this one feels very much like his own. This reminded me of Clint Eastwood's A PERFECT WORLD and Reiner's STAND BY ME, only with more drama, humor, and sense of danger. I liked that the filmmakers were able to create a nice Hollywood/indie hybrid with characters that were both authentically down to earth and colorful. I also love that the movie doesn't go down the cliched romance route, focusing more on Mud the character and his development with the young lead character. There's something about Jeff Nichols' films that reminds me of the type of movies I remember watching in the early to mid 90s that I don't see enough of today, made by directors like Scorsese and Eastwood who had honed their craft and made solid engaging work. His style, for the most part, is very direct and simple when it works best and MUD is a great example.
- I am becoming less of a fan of violence and shootouts, only being engaged when the characters caught in these predicaments are fully fleshed out. In the case of the protagonists I can say I was invested, but the antagonists are quite one-dimensional. There's something about creating monstrous human villains and then plotting the narrative so that we cheer when they get killed off that doesn't sit right with me. It neglects the human element and makes for a less interesting story with partially explored themes. It's in this area where this film falls a little short. I don't relish the killing of human characters no matter how nasty they are. It's too easy, and at that point, not very fun to watch and not very insightful from a character standpoint."
"Love Matthew M. He said this movie was one of his favorite. Reminded him of himself"
L S
Linda Sherrin
"I found 'Mud' surprisingly good. The movie does a great job exploring how deeply adults' interactions, emotions, and words can affect a child's impressionable mind. It follows a boy trying to navigate the turbulence of his parents' separation and the uprooting of his home and life "