The story of a sympathetic fugitive who forges a bond with two teenage boys near a mighty river down south, Mud is shot through with traditional qualities of American literature and drama. Jeff Nichols much-anticipated follow-up to his breakthrough second feature Take Shelter feels less adventurous and unsettling but remains a well carpentered piece of work marked by some fine performances and resilient thematic fiber. A shrewd and determined distributor would pursue the connection this exploration of loves elusiveness could make with a mainstream heartland audience more than highbrow critical acceptance, as the potential seems present for good word of mouth with a public hungry for stories with which they can directly relate.
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Nearly every relationship in Nicholss screenplay is threatened, fractured or broken. Ellis (Tye Sheridan) has good reason to believe that his parents (Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon) are headed for a divorce, while is best pal Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) is being raised by his oyster-diving uncle Galen (Michael Shannon). Ellis, whos 14, lives in a funky old houseboat while the nearby Arkansas town is a characterless wasteland of large chain stores and housing developments.
On a deserted island out in the Mississippi, the boys stumble into the grizzled, unkempt Mud (Matthew McConaughey), whos hiding out in an old boat stuck up in a tree. Even though Mud soon admits that hes killed a man in a dispute, the boys are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and, in exchange for the promise that they can have the boat once hes done, they start ferrying food across to him in a launch.
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Nichols readily admits the influence of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on his story, in addition to those of other Southern writers. Such stories were formerly staples of American writing and theres enough dramatic and emotional meat on this one to suspect that audiences would easily engage with it. The title character is a perennial, a flawed man who admits the error of his ways and hopes for a second chance in the face of those who vengefully seek to take him down.
Significantly more appealing is the boy, Ellis, a sensitive, watchful, tough kid whos able to stand up for himself. Although much smaller, he punches out an older high schooler and is flirted with seriously enough by an older girl to imagine that shes become his girlfriend. His anger at his parents for not finding a way to remain together is painful enough to give them pause. Sheridans performance grows in stature and confidence as the film pushes on; he often keeps his words to a minimum, but his eyes and increasingly untrusting attitude toward adults and what they say speak volumes for his burgeoning understanding of the unsavory ways of the world.
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Muds getaway plans require the boys to steal an outboard motor for him but he also asks Ellis to contact his ladylove Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), whos laying low in town waiting for the green light to join Mud. Also hovering, however, is a squad of bounty hunters led by a hulking bad old boy (Joe Don Baker), whose son Mud killed.
Theres more than enough anger, disappointment and disillusion to go around in Nicholss carefully constructed, slightly overextended drama. Its easy to criticize Mud for being old-fashioned, too redolent in familiar dramatic tropes, overly intent on establishing interlocking motifs and themes, and happy to fall back on both climactic violence and wishful thinking when it comes to second chances. More than anything, the characters of the boys keep it real and alive, the films emotional credibility overriding its dramatic convenience.
Mud is McConaugheys second characterization of a Southern trouble magnet in the Cannes competition this year, along with The Paperboy, and this is the more distinctive of the two; with messy hair, tattoos and a chipped tooth, his Mud is a mess but still not without charm. After a string of silly and underperforming commercial outings, Witherspoon is on the money here in a strictly supporting turn as a trampy gal whos wasted her life thus far. Young Loflandas Elliss pal, has a great face; Shannon, the star of Take Shelter, seems present more for moral support than for his role, which is very incidental, while Sam Shepard puts far more than his recent norm into his acute characterization of a man who may or may not be Muds real father and may or may not have been a government hit man.
Venue: Cannes Film Festival (in competition)
Production: Everest Entertainment, Brace Cove Prods., FilmNation Entertainment
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Joe Don Baker, Johnny Cheek, Bonnie Sturdivant, Stuart Greer, Clayton Carson
Director: Jeff Nichols
Screenwriter: Jeff Nichols
Producers: Sarah Green, Aaron Ryder, Lisa Maria Falcone
Executive producers: Tom Heller, Gareth Smith, Glen Basner
Director of photography: Adam Stone
Production designer: Richard A. Wright
Costume designer: Kari Perkins
Editor: Julie Monroe
Music: David Wingo
131 minutes
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