"Mud" has a very respectable overall IMDb score of 7.5 and most of the reviews are glowing. So, in light of all this, I had very high hopes for the film. The story is about a couple 14 year-olds (Ellis and Neckbone) who come upon a homeless guy named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) living out in the woods. Despite not knowing the man, they decide to help him by bringing him food. Later, they agree to run errands for the guy. However, they then learn that he's a wanted man--wanted for murder. So, they continue helping him and even put their lives on the line because they know deep in their hearts that he's a great guy. So, as a result of watching the film I have learned some important life truths:
1. If you meet a person living in the woods, help them. 2. If they are wanted for murder, listen to your heart--not the law enforcement authorities. 3. If you are 14, the best way to a girl's heart is start punching people. 4. If you are 14, set your sights for the hot 17 year-old girl and see #3. 5. Stealing and murder are okay if your heart is in the right place. 6. If you are a kid, talk to and trust strangers. 7. If you help a stranger, the stranger will never betray you and will be there when you need them. 8. Don't trust women...they're all alike. 9. Despite this, do ANYTHING a girl wants. 10. If you are on the run, go ahead, build a big bonfire at night.
The list of other insane knowledge goes on and on and on. The bottom line is just about NOTHING in this film makes any sense--at least on this planet. Additionally, the film was filled with characters that were stupid, self-destructive and difficult to like. Plus, when you watch the film, it is quite possible that Mud was indeed bad and deserved prison....yet we are supposed to root for him?! Huh?!
The only positives would be the acting and....well, actually, just some of the acting.
Mud
2012
Action / Drama
Mud
2012
Action / Drama
Plot summary
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 boys he will give them the treehouse boat, his current hideout, in exchange for food. Neckbone is reluctant, but Ellis brings food to Mud, and they develop a tentative friendship. Ellis learns that Mud has killed a man in Texas, and police and bounty hunters are looking for him, but Mud is more concerned about reuniting with his longtime love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Ellis, who has recently developed his own crush, agrees to help Mud escape with Juniper. Ellis and Neckbone carry out bold schemes in an effort to protect Mud and relay messages to Juniper, who is holed up in a fleabag motel, under constant surveillance by Carver (Paul Sparks),a Texas bounty hunter. Carver and his gang are intent on capturing Mud, on orders from the cold-blooded King (Joe Don Baker). As the boys risk everything to reunite these seeming mythical lovers, Ellis's own ideas about love and romance are challenged by the strains in the relationships closest to him: his parents' marriage is dissolving while he himself falters in his efforts to impress May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant). Through it all, Ellis struggles to look for an example of love that he can believe in, learning about the unspoken rules and risks of love and the reality of heartbreak.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
This movie is dumb and sure makes Arkansans look awful!
Vapid characters and their uninteresting lives
MUD is another overrated film that many viewers (and reviewers) seem to mistake for a stylish masterwork. In fact it's a very dull social drama with thriller undertones about a couple of kids who befriend a bizarre homeless man who lives out in the woods, often making a boat suspended in a tree his bed for the night. What the other viewers seem to miss is that it's BORING.
MUD has potential, I'll give it that. Scenes of the kids exploring and enjoying a lot hot summer bring to mind the greatness of MEAN CREEK and STAND BY ME, but that's where the similarities end. Instead, this film gets bogged down in small-scale drama, a definite look-at-me style of acting, and way too much sentiment. The inclusion of a crime family and a revenge-fuelled second half doesn't really ring true and when you don't care about the characters anyway, that doesn't help.
It also doesn't help that I can't stand the overrated Matthew McConaughey as an actor. He always seems to swan around with his turgid under acting and he bores me to tears whenever he's on screen. At least this film isn't as offensive as KILLER JOE, but I still hated his character. The pity is that some decent character actors are mired in support (in particular, Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks, both of BOARDWALK EMPIRE). And as for Reese Witherspoon - the less said the better!
Matthew's good and the kid's amazing
Ellis (Tye Sheridan) lives on a houseboat in Arkansas with his parents; Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson) and Senior (Ray McKinnon). Their marriage is falling apart as they scrounge for a living. He and his best friend Neckbone, who lives with his uncle Galen (Michael Shannon),find a boat high up in a tree on an island. They meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey).
This is a perfect little movie. This is probably the most complete and deepest character Matthew McConaughey has ever played. Yet it's the outstanding work of newcomer Tye Sheridan that holds the whole thing together. This is only his second movie after 'The Tree of Life' and he absolutely shines here. This movie has a great sense of place. The actors are all great. Importantly, the characters are all deep and complex. It is a truly intriguing little movie.