Mud poster

2013·130 min·Released

Mud

“Running from his past. Hiding from the law. Only one way out.”

Drama

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.

7.1(3,087 votes)

Popularity4

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Theatrical Trailler

Cast & Crew

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey

Mud

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Juniper

Tye Sheridan

Tye Sheridan

Ellis

Jacob Lofland

Jacob Lofland

Neckbone

Sam Shepard

Sam Shepard

Tom

Ray McKinnon

Ray McKinnon

Senior

Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson

Mary Lee

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Galen

Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker

King

Paul Sparks

Paul Sparks

Carver

Bonnie Sturdivant

Bonnie Sturdivant

May Pearl

Stuart Greer

Stuart Greer

Miller

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Wuchak

Written on 3/24/2018

To love or not love in Arkansas along the Mississippi RELEASED IN 2012-2013 and written & directed by Jeff Nichols, “Mud” is a southern gothic crime drama taking place in Arkansas along the Mississippi River where two boys discover a fugitive named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) hiding out on an island and decide to help him evade the authorities & vigilantes that are on his trail in hope of reuniting him with his true love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). This is a film about authentic Southern people and the code by which they live. Urbanized types usually refer to them as “rednecks.” While some of them may be “white trash,” most of them are not. They’re independent of the government, hardworking and respectful citizens, not to mention rooted in Christian morality, although not necessarily Christians. The film respects the intelligence of the viewer, leaving it to him/her to read between the lines. It’s similar to “Joe,” which was released a year later, but not as abrasively pessimistic and is overall better. In tone, it’s akin to “Undertow” (2004) and “Snow Angels” (2007). If you appreciate those flicks, you’ll like “Mud.” There are a lot of gems to mine: Ellis (Tye Sheridan) mirrors Mud as an adolescent. Will he make the same mistakes that brought Mud to his current state? The movie’s basically a rumination on the potential in both masculinity and femininity for good or bad, but the focus is more on the toxicity of some women, which is refreshing, as Hollywood tends to paint men as evil incarnate or thoroughly inept while women are usually sterling examples of eminent nobility (Why Sure!). The film also reveals the idealization of love and how “love is blind.” Just because you truly love someone in a romantic sense doesn’t mean s/he is good for you and that you should develop & maintain a relationship. I was never a fan of Witherspoon, but didn’t dislike her either. In any case, she’s quite good as the seemingly innocent-yet-toxic love interest. Bonnie Sturdivant is excellent as her teenage counterpart, May Pearl; they should’ve done more with her. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hour 10 minutes and was shot in Arkansas (Crocketts Bluff, Eudora, Dumas and Stuttgart). ADDITIONAL CAST: Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks and Joe Don Baker. GRADE: B/B+

CinemaSerf

Written on 8/17/2024

In a way, there was something slightly Dickensian about this story of two small urchins who regularly zip about the Mississippi river on their boat. There must have been an hurricane recently as on one stop, they discover a boat lodged firmly in the branches of a tree. After a quick inspection, they realise it's had a recent resident and as they are about to leave they are introduced to "Mud" (Matthew McConaughey). "Ellis" (Tye Sheridan) is a bit more engaged with this enigmatic stranger than his pal "Neckbone" (a solid effort from Jacob Lofland) and agrees to bring him some food and then help him fix the boat - so long as the boys can have it after! As their relationship slowly develops, we discover that there's no shortage of baggage across the lives of the youngster whose parents are separating and who is about to lose his houseboat home and the fugitive who has a story of his own to tell of love with the gorgeous "Juniper" (Reese Witherspoon) and violence. With the temperature rising and the hunt for "Mud" closing in on the boys, things become perilous and the characters have to take a good long look at themselves as they come to terms with actions past and present that will impact on their futures. McConaughey is at his most natural here; his charisma does much of the heavy lifting but it's really Sheridan who steals the show as his curiously decent character evolves from an innocence to something altogether more mature, more aware and - thanks to "Mae Pearl" (Bonnie Sturdivant) - frustratingly hormonal, too! The setting works well offering us a look at a community that has it's own way of doing things, as does the judicious amount of dialogue allowing the story to develop effectively under it's own steam delivering a bond between these two unlikely characters that emerges in quite an unexpected, and risky, fashion. It's a little more intricate than might appear on first inspection, and is worth a couple of hours.

Media

Southern Character: The Cast of Mud

Southern Character: The Cast of Mud

Performance

Performance

Mud director Jeff Nichols

Mud director Jeff Nichols

SXSW Red Carpet Interviews with Matthew McConaughey, Jeff Nichols and Sarah Green

SXSW Red Carpet Interviews with Matthew McConaughey, Jeff Nichols and Sarah Green

Theatrical Trailler

Theatrical Trailler