Mud (2012)

Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

Director:

Jeff Nichols

Writer:

Jeff Nichols

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Matthew McConaughey	...	Mud
Reese Witherspoon	...	Juniper
Tye Sheridan	...	Ellis
Jacob Lofland	...	Neckbone
Sarah Paulson	...	Mary Lee
Ray McKinnon	...	Senior
Sam Shepard	...	Tom Blankenship
Michael Shannon	...	Galen
Paul Sparks	...	Carver
Joe Don Baker	...	King
Johnny Cheek	...	Kyle
Bonnie Sturdivant	...	May Pearl
Stuart Greer	...	Miller
Clayton Carson	...	Pryor
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Abbott Jr.	...	James

Storyline

14 year-old Ellis (Tye Sheridan) lives on a makeshift houseboat on the banks of a river in Arkansas with his parents, Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson) and Senior (Ray McKinnon). He sneaks out early one morning to meet his best friend, Neckbone (Jacob Lofland). Neckbone, also 14, lives with his uncle, Galen (Michael Shannon), who makes a hardscrabble living diving for oysters. The two boys set out to an island on the Mississippi River, where Neckbone has discovered an unusual sight-a boat, suspended high in the trees, a remnant of an extreme flood some time in the past. They climb the tree and into the boat only to find fresh bread and fresh footprints. Realizing that they are not the only ones who have discovered the treehouse boat, they decide to leave. When they reach the shore, they find the same footprint in their boat. And that's when they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey). Mud is a gritty, superstitious character; his clothes are dirty, his tooth is cracked, and he needs help. He tells the...

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Plot Keywords:

fugitive | teenage boy | boy | bounty hunter | pact | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual references, language, thematic elements and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ha'sipour shel Mud

Filming Locations:

Mississippi River, Eudora, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,215,460 (USA) (26 April 2013)

Gross:

$11,887,000 (USA) (20 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Everest Entertainment, Brace Cove Productions, FilmNation Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Pine was originally considered for this role.

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Goofs

When Ellis confronts Mud on the beach and then runs off, the left leg of his jeans are covered in mud. In the very next scene his pants are clean.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cleveland Show: California Dreamin' (All the Cleves Are Brown) (2013)

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Soundtracks

"May Pearl"
Written and Performed by Jeff McIlwain

User Reviews

It can be enjoyed on several levels.

"You gotta watch yourself." Mud (Matthew McConaughey)

In fact, everyone needs to watch himself, mostly the eponymous fugitive and almost so the 14 year olds Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), who aid the murderer Mud as he connects with his lost love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and evades bounty hunters and irate family members of his victim. Everyone seems to be running from something.

This crisp thriller and psychological study can be enjoyed on two levels: First, it's a darn good chase story with Mud being pursued by bad guys and Mud chasing his love; second, it's a coming-of-age story as the boys, especially Ellis, sift through adult lies and compromises and their own growing sense of love's importance. That love covers parent for child, friend for friend, and boy for girl.

Although writer-director Jeff Nichols may be trying to do too much with those themes, he succeeds in crafting characters we really care about whose arcs promise to extend beyond the story, embracing universals that extend beyond rural Arkansas. So important is the river to the boys that inquisitive and ornery Huck Finn is as close as the next bend in the river.

While the title could represent the dirty little world of sin on the river, it also suggests the primal stuff from which Eve was made. Women are the central metaphor for the boys, who already know girls must be dealt with before boys can be called men. Yet, beyond dealing with the opposite sex, they must decide who's good and who's evil, regardless of gender.

That consideration starts with family and moves to the family of man. That's quite a lot for a little film. It delivers. If my comments don't convince you to see this indie gem, then consider the supporting cast of Michael Shannon, Reese Witherspoon, Joe Don Baker, and Sam Shepard. You'll crab there's not enough of each one, and that's all good. And I'm not just slinging mud.