Mud

Well, right now I should be at my parent's house, eating some home-cooked cookin', but sickness has kept me at home eating BBQ flavoured chips - yep, I don't necessarily take care of myself when I am ill and my wife is out of the house.  She is at my parent's home right now, visiting with them and our niece and nephew, who I always enjoy seeing.  That means my proof-reader is not here, so my apologies on anything I may have missed.  Today's movie is Mud, which came out in limited release back in late April, and is currently one of the highest rated films of the year on Rotten Tomatoes (98%) and is currently available to rent.

Mud is about a young boy who lives on a houseboat named Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) who live on southern waterways, and head on an adventure to an island to find a rumoured boat that is lodged high in a tree.  After finding the vessle that had been relocated thanks to flooding, they find that someone has been living in it.  As they are leaving the island, they meet the man from the boat, Mud (Matthew McConaughey) who is quite filthy and quite hungry.  Ellis feels compelled to assist the man.  As he brings him food and visits Mud, Ellis starts to get an understanding of the predicament that would cause a fellow to hide on a remote island and takes it on himself to assist Mud in connecting with his girlfriend, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).

The main theme in the film is love, as Ellis' perception of the emotion and relational commitment are being challenged by the degrading marriage of his parents as well as his own exploration with it.  His understanding of what love is and should be is what drives him to help assist Mud, whom is driven by love as well.  It is when all the relationships around him have crumbled that he even starts to appropriately use the word.

Since I have mentioned that it is about love and that it stars Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, it is important for me to inform you that it is not a romantic comedy, and these are not the typical rolls which we are used to seeing these two in.  Mud is a very simple, yet still complex character who we see covered in dirt and seeming quite pathetic at times.  The performance of McConaughey is phenomenal, and he brings out the powerful moments of pity, rage, caution, and protection.  There is a little bit of Oscar talk around this roll (although his roll in Dallas Buyer's Club is getting a lot more conversation), and he shows a wide range of abilities as Mud.

The true acting performance in this film that needs noting is that of young Tye Sheridan.  I am saying this right now, keep an eye on this young man because he may be a future heavyweight in film.  It is the journey of Ellis that we follow, and Sheridan delivers his role in a way that grabs the audience and ultimately has us desiring a positive outcome for him.  His future looks great, and he seems to choose quality films to be a part of.  His only three movies are Mud, the Oscar nominated Terrence Malick film Tree of Life, and most recently a film that got decent talk around it at the Toronto International Film Festival, Joe, with Nicolas Cage.  A lot of times young talent seems to be coming up through Disney properties, but this one is quite possibly going to be gunning for awards before too long.

With great performances in the forefront, we are also treated to great locations and backdrops that make us feel a connection to the life on the water that Ellis knows.  We get a tactile feel of the blue collar life that Ellis lives within, which is contrasted when he is in town and interacts with others his age.  The film shows poverty, but also a beauty in the landscape and a connection to the earth and water that the characters have.

In the end, I give this film a very hearty recommendation.  It is a touching tale of the innocent, but naive, view of what love is.  Sadly, it is that naive view that we should really be aspiring to, but young Ellis finds out that the reality of life's circumstances put a somber reality to what love ends up being.  It is interesting, and it is touching, which is odd for a film that focuses on broken relationships.  Maybe what causes it to work is that we have too good an understanding of broken relationships and care enough about Ellis and Mud to hope they end up with something better.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars