To anyone who knows me personally, it’s no big secret that I am a fan of all things Matthew McConaughey. Even if a large mob of people stood outside a movie theater holding a banner that read “Matthew McConaughey’s new movie is just AWFUL” I’d still go see it-it’s called ‘devotion.’ But when I started hearing buzz that this is one of his finest performances ever, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
THE GOOD: Set on the banks of the Mississippi River in an Arkansas town that looks like the kind of place where your uncle might also be your grandfather, ‘Mud’ is the story of 2 young boys-Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (yes, you read that correctly-played by Jacob Lofland), who spend their days selling fish and exploring islands. It’s during one of these Huckleberry Finn adventures that the boys discover Mud-a mysterious drifter who’s guarding a secret, and who enlists Ellis and Neckbone for their help. And as Ellis’s world becomes uncertain due to his parents impending divorce, as well as the turbulence of young love, he begins to feel an attachment to Mud that could put him in harm’s way.
When critics say that this is Matthew McConaughey at his finest, you can believe it. As biased as I may be, his performance in this film rivals that of his role in ‘A Time to Kill’. In addition, there are great moments from Reese Witherspoon (playing Mud’s love interest, ‘Juniper’) and Sam Shepard (Mud’s surrogate father who may or may not have been a paid assassin in a previous lifetime). But the truly memorable performance comes from the young Tye Sheridan (Ellis) who seems able to tap into the awkwardness and idealism of the teenage years. Expect to see his star rise.
THE BAD: I have to admit that I’ve never set foot anywhere down South, and I can’t say that the lifestyle portrayed in this film—living on a rundown houseboat on the banks of the Mississippi-was something that endeared itself to me. As you might have guessed, I’m not exactly the “roughing it” type of gal. I spent a good portion of the movie cringing at the living conditions. But the truly disheartening moments centered around the breakup of Ellis’s parents and his realization that people don’t always live up to what we expect from them. Of course, I sometimes use this section to point out what could have improved in the film-but aside from the fact that Reese Witherspoon’s portrayal of ‘Juniper’ felt at times a little one dimensional, this movie doesn’t disappoint.
THE UGLY: To be clear, there are some homely characters in this story, and by ‘homely’ I mean: “Sweet St. Peter, where did they FIND these people?!” The real surprise however, is that, despite the fact that McConaughey plays a grimy, homeless, chipped tooth, inbred, hillbilly felon, he still somehow manages to be surprisingly attractive. And in case any of you ladies are curious-yeah, he takes his shirt off.
