Movie Review: Mud is like a modern Huckleberry Finn

By Gautam Kagalwala

You wouldn’t think much of a film named Mud. It almost sounds irreverent, as if the movie didn’t take itself seriously. Another reason you might think of overlooking this film is because it stars an aging Matthew McConaughey, who plays the titular character Mud.

But, McConaughey is no longer the flop romantic hero from a few years ago. Recently, he’s acted in The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), which was one of the best films of his career, and was both hilarious and chilling as the stripper-entrepreneur Dallas in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike (2012). But that’s where Mud will catch you by surprise because here’s a film that lets you magically escape to a world of boyhood adventures so far only offered by Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.

Mud (McConaughey) is a disheveled, intriguing stranger who lives by himself on a deserted island. He’s befriended by young Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his trusty companion Neckbones’s (Jacob Lofland) who chance upon him while adventuring in the backwaters of Mississippi river, trying to escape their less than ideal familial situations.

After overcoming their initial suspicions, they agree to help Mud unite with Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) – a troubled woman he’s been in love with for most of his life. Ellis is head-over-heels in love with a local girl and identifies with Mud, which is why he agrees to help Mud even after discovering Mud is wanted for the murder of a local crime boss by both the police and bounty hunters (hired by the dead criminal’s powerful family).

Ellis and Neckbones are wonderful as they navigate their way through the messy and imperfect world of grownups, trying to do their share of good. They allow us oldies in the audience a true and vicarious sense of being kids again. Sheridan plays the lead superbly. Lofland is perfectly cast as Neckbones and he’s exactly what comes to mind when you think, “American kid”.

The cinematography is rich and vibrant with much of the film being shot during the magical light of the golden hour (the first and last hours of sunlight). Mud’s ambient, folksy soundtrack by David Wingo and The Dirty Three is also enchanting and suits the film perfectly. Director Jeff Nichols is from Arkansas, where the film is set, and his sense of familiarity with the rural American south infuses the film with a sense of vital warmth that’s rare. Mud is made of different stuff than most movies and well-worth watching.