On the surface, Mud, written and directed by Jeff Nichols, is a chase movie. Two young boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), live on a river in Arkansas. Their life together is like something out of a suburban upper class mother's nightmare"”they sneak out in the wee hours of the morning and dirtbike (no helmets!) to a hidden bank upriver, where they ride a cheap motorboat (no life jackets!) to an unoccupied island to explore, dodging poisonous snakes (snakes!). One morning, they meet a mysterious drifter named Mud (Matthew McConaughey), who wears boots with crosses made of nails stuck in the heels and carries a pistol. He tells the boys that he is hiding from bad men who want to kill him and waiting for his true love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) to join him so they can flee together. They vow to help him, and when his tale comes true, their world unravels.
But while Mud has some of the structure of a chase movie, it is fundamentally a story about love and manhood. Charles Murray in his book Coming Apart talks about the modern breakdown of marriage among the white lower class, and this movie could have been written as a commentary on that very trend. Ellis is motivated by traditional ideas"”he has his heart set on a girl from school, May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant). He fights off boys who harass her, reads books about how to speak winsomely to her, and is generally quite the young Southern gallant. He even decides to help Mud because he and Juniper love each other, like something right out of the stories.
But then we learn that Ellis' mother Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson) and father Senior (Ray McKinnon) are getting a divorce. And that Juniper is maybe not the truest love in the world to Mud, who has maybe never learned to grow up. And that old Tom (Sam Shepard) who lives across the river is a heartbroken widower. And that May Pearl is potentially leading on young Ellis. That Neckbone is raised by his playboy uncle. What happens when things get dirty? When events play out that don't fit into Ellis' worldview, how does he come to grips? Those are the questions Mud deals with, and it deals with them winsomely.
The film is beautifully crafted"”the Southern rural setting, which Hollywood usually only references as the butt of a joke, is portrayed perfectly. The quietness of the water, the snakes, the accents, the way of life on the river"”they are simple without being too romantic, poor with a sense of dignity. The country/bluegrass soundtrack, like the rest of the setting, hangs quietly in the background for the most part, being supportive of the story without overwhelming it. This allows Mud universal appeal.
The acting is great too. Tye Sheridan is a champion of humanity as Ellis"”the scene where a guy grabs May Pearl's behind and Ellis, without hesitation, sprints across the road and throws a glorious punch to the guy's face is something you'll just want to watch on a loop. Jacob Lofland as Neckbone is a great foil to the serious Ellis and truly steals the show. Of course, though, the man of the hour is Matthew McConaughey. His irrepressible Southern charm just will not die, and the classic rom-com pretty boy deserves credit for bringing the heat with some impressively cracked and crooked teeth.
However, in spite of the glories of this film"”the novelty, the originality, the acting, the setting, even the story"”in spite of all those, this film's length will keep many people from enjoying it when they otherwise would. It's about twenty minutes too long and proceeds at the pace of the lazy river the film is set around. If the currents had sped up once in a while, particularly in the second half, it would have been a true great. At its current length, over 2 hours, viewers will have a touch of relief mixed in where there should be joy and thoughtfulness alone.
