MUD

Mud is currently one of the best-reviewed movies of the year thus far, and it is no surprise why.  This charming, modern coming-of-age story tells a love story that manages to be both heartbreaking and uplifting simultaneously.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Let’s start off with Matthew McConaughey’s performance as the titular character Mud.  Lambasted for his previous roles, McConaughey has never really been taking seriously as an actor (to his credit, he’s never really let it get to him).  This performance will change that.  His charm and charisma are put to good use as he plays a fugitive hiding on an island.  Though one should be terrified of such a person, I actually warmed up to him almost instantly and rooted for him for the rest of the movie.  After learning more about his tragic love story, I wanted nothing more but to see him win back the love of his live Juniper, played aptly by Reese Witherspoon.  When it’s sadly discovered that it will never work out, despite how much they both love each other, it’s heartbreaking, but in a way also relatable, at least to me (I’ve had my fair share of hopeless crushes).  When the men seeking to kill him get closer and closer to finding him, I was genuinely worried for hi life.  Mud is without a doubt the most compelling character in cinema I’ve seen in a long time, and that is all thanks to McConaughey’s impeccable acting in this movie.

In addition, the two main boys of the film, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are just as captivating to watch in the film as Mud.  Sheridan in particular does a phenomenal job in his role.  When he goes on a date with the girl that he’s loved for awhile, I felt his excitement.  When he learned that his parents were getting divorced and that he would have to leave the only life he’s ever known along the river, I felt his confusion and frustration.  When he found out that his “girlfriend” never thought of herself as that and ignored him and ridiculed him in public, I felt his pain and sadness.  When he returned to Mud and confronted him about being lied to and having his perception of true love shattered, I felt his anger and disappointment.  Not since The Impossible‘s Tom Holland have I seen a young actor play such a powerful role.  Lofland does a great job as well playing the loyal friend who is always there for Ellis, through thick and thin.  Both of these young actors play roles that we either were as kids ourselves or that were filled by our friends; they’re instantly relatable and understandable.  Ellis’s parents and Neckbone’s uncle also played wonderful, real roles as people doing the best they can to raise these kids right.

Not only is this a tragic love story in the traditional “boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl” sense, but it’s also a tragic love story about the simply country life, particularly life on the river.  Through some spectacular cinematography, Mud makes Arkansas look like an abandoned paradise, and makes life on the river so appealing that when Ellis lost his home at the end of the movie and they dismantled his riverside abode board by board, I was completely saddened and distraught.  Seeing Ellis and Neckbone have fun exploring an island and driving around the city on a motorbike, or Ellis on the back of his dad’s pick-up truck delivering fish throughout the city, was simple but alluring; I’ve never had a desire to visit the south, but thanks to this movie now I kind of do!  It’s beautifully filmed and wonderfully scored, every piece of music perfectly capturing the moments on screen.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS: 10/10

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed this movie!  You absolutely need to see it; it’s one of the most moving films I’ve seen in awhile, and is easily my top pick of 2013 so far.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see McConaughey and even Sheridan get an Oscar nomination.