Review of Mud (2013) by Jairo A — 01 Feb 2014

The years 2011 and 2012 were very kind to Matthew McConaughey, and 2013 might be the mans best year yet. He is back as a charismatic southerner looking to reunite with his lover. The only problem is that he is a fugitive and he must stay out of the public eye. Lucky for him that two teenage boys have stumbled on his shack and are willing to help him after get gains some of their trust. What does he need from them? Well, I think you can pretty much guess.

While MUD appears to be the main character, it is the boys that do most of the learning in this coming-of-age tale that is more or less a spin on Stand by Me. There are some subplots at play here... The teenage Ellis has his first relationship and learns some are lessons from that, and his parents are also going through a divorce. But nevertheless, the movie is at it's best when Mud and the two boys are onscreen together.

I should note that this is a fairly slow paced movie with a script and dialogue that is more suited for more patient viewers that are willing to let the story play out instead of expecting lots of intense drama and action. But if you enjoy films like Stand by Me, The Sandlot and My Girl you might find this to be an interesting and enjoyable film. I sure did.