Mud (2013)

Captivating, Endearing, Believable. Great acting, and storytelling. Moments of powerful emotion in this piece of drama. Simple yet remarkable. Multiple different angles can elevate a simple story; Love and Friendship. Maybe a modern classic.It is not some an action movie, but a drama with Metaphors about humanity, life experience, conflict and love. So please, if you complain about movies are just turning in to superficial story and special effects, Go SEE THIS MOVIE, and support it.McConaughhey start his journey of great performances yet to come, like Mud, Rust;True Detective, and Ron in Dallas Club."it's hard, do not to knowing where you come from" - Mud

Great directors often hire great composers. There is nothing like a great musical score to enhance a film's power. Hitchcock, Scorsese, De Palma - all these great American filmmakers had great composers working for them. The musical score for Mud is the usual trite and sentimental country rubbish that you would hear in any ordinary American film. Mud is no ordinary film. The characters in Mud could be out of a novel written by Mark Twain or William Faulkner if they were alive today. Which is why I question Jeff Nichol's choice of background score. He was aiming high with this film. He needed to get the best in the business. Which makes me question his reputation as one of the best American filmmakers working today. The film started off well. Two boys embark on an adventure on a boat and run into this outlaw sort of character (Matthew McConaughey). After an initial conflict, he earns their respect and the boys decide to help him reunite with his girlfriend in exchange for the boat he lives in. It is an interesting film reflecting the attitudes and motivations of rural Americans (or rednecks - the writer V.S.Naipaul refused to use the word as a pejorative) and their lifestyle. Mud is a film of place - Jeff Nichols seems to love the American countryside and the rural landscapes. He explored this milieu in both Take Shelter and Midnight Special (his latest film).Tye Sheridan is a young actor to watch out for. He made quite an impression in Joe (2013), another film about rural America. Matthew McConaughey must be one of the best leading men in Hollywood today.Unfortunately, one of the hallmark's of Jeff Nichol's films seems to be ennui. He simply trudges along and needlessly elongates the film without adding anything to the characters or the story. I think he is a better writer than a director. I do not expect much out of Hollywood anymore. We are in the bronze as far as Hollywood is concerned. And in the bronze age, Mud is as good as it gets.(6/10)

The least we can say is that director Jeff Nichols did a very good job with Mud. Even though it's longer then two hours it's a very enjoyable drama to watch. One where you won't get bored for a second. The cast is outstanding. Matthew McConaughey is the main character because the movie is called after him, and he did an excellent job with his character, but what I will remember the most is the excellent acting from the two youngsters Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland. Their innocent characters, ready to believe anything Mud tells them, and helping him getting his love life sorted out, makes Mud a drama that you watch with full attention. The rest of the cast fits perfectly well in the story. A story well written that deserved to be watched at least once. Looking forward to watch more movies from Jeff Nichols.

The plot is not amazingly original but the actors' portrayal of the characters made the story captivating. Especially thorough were Mud (Matthew McConaughey) and Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and their relationship.Admittedly the beginning of the movie is somewhat slow and there isn't much thinking to do than watch the plot present itself gradually. The storyline starts off for the most part with a laid-back attitude and unwavering beautiful landscape.However there is a radical shift towards the end that will make you grip your seat. At this point you fully realize how well the chemistry between Mud and the kids has been developed.There is one word that describes the overall feeling once the movie has finished and that would be "satisfying".