Movie Review: ‘MUD’

When traveling on the river, you can move along at your own speed.  You can travel by motorboat and zip through your surroundings to get to your destination faster.  While the alternative would be to simply drift along at a more leisurely pace, soaking in the environment around you, and letting the river’s current guide you.  Depending on your level of enjoyment for the journey versus the destination, Jeff Nichols’ new drama Mud may or may not be what you’re looking for in a film.  Those who don’t mind soaking in the Southern scenery at a more gradual speed might take away more from this coming of age adventure than others.

Matthew McConaughey plays a fugitive-drifter named Mud, who is caught by two boys hiding out on an island off the Mississippi River.  Ellis and Neckbone discover him hiding inside an old boat that sits lodged high in a tree.  A secret trio is soon formed as the boys provide Mud with food, help him fix-up the boat, and attempt to reunite him with his former lover, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).  What they don’t expect is to run into trouble with a group of men who are on a mission to kill their mysterious new friend.

An attempt is made to tell a tale in the vein of Huckleberry Finn complete with some good-hearted, honest values at its core. Nichols successfully weaves together multiple themes into a morality tale that calls into questions the character of all the players involved.  His attempt to incorporate these moral themes with religious symbolism is admirable if not a little too obvious; Mud’s heel on his boot is implanted with nails as crosses, the image of the snake is referenced several times including a short anecdote told by the title character about the snake being the original sign of evil confronted by man, and the image of the boat strung up in a tree leads you to believe that there was once a great flood (you don’t have to be a Christian to know of the story of Noah’s Ark).  Even Mud’s trademark phrase is given a deeper meaning in the context of the story – “It’s a helluva thing.”

Serving also as the writer of the film, Nichols’ understanding of the characters is evident as he provides each with depth and a history as rich as the detailed environments they live in.  Most of the credit though should be given to the actors.  The entire cast is up to the task of elevating these characters out of the realm of Southern stereotypes.  Matthew McConaughey in particular is worthy of the highest praise.  Once seen as just the star of mindless romantic comedies, McConaughey seems to have had a major resurgence as of late proving that he is more than capable of handling some deeper roles that require more than just taking his shirt off; don’t worry girls – he does so in here as well.  Beneath a shaggy mop of hair, a five o’clock shadow, and a short sleeved pale button-up that you could almost smell the sweat and dirt from through the screen, the Texas native gives the rugged outlaw a feeling of deep sadness.  There is something compelling about his performance even though you don’t know if you can trust the character.  But it’s Ellis’ love for the broken man and his ability to see through Mud’s dirty past that pushes the story along.  Love and friendship plays a key role in the relationships between the characters, but McConaughey shows that even those with skin thicker than mud still need a partner in their life.  This is something that Ellis seeks throughout the film as well.  With his parents marriage falling apart, Ellis looks elsewhere just to feel a sense of connectedness with another.  His failed attempts at love with a girl from school force him to question everything he thinks he has learned from Mud.

Much like the director’s previous drama, Take Shelter, Nichols takes his time unfolding his character driven story in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.  Deeper psychological issues that permeated his previous film are pushed to the side here but the role of identity and who we choose to surround our lives with are still called into question.  Take Shelter’s blank and deserted landscape seemed to match the tone and style of filmmaking much better than what is achieved here with Mud.  I feel a more experienced director might have pushed the film a little more to take advantage of the tension that the story gives way to later in the film.  This is not so much an issue with the pace of the story as it is more something that could have been amplified a bit with the shooting style, the editing of some sequences, and the handling of certain themes in the script.  Overall, I quite enjoyed the trip that Mud took me on.  Much like the river that brings Ellis to Mud, the film is at times equal parts smooth and rocky, but it’s always a thoughtful and methodical journey that highlights the struggles of a 14 yr. old boy transitioning into being a man.  And let me tell you . . . it’s a helluva thing.