Mud, a Mississippi River drama

Mud, a southern gothic coming-of-age drama was written and directed by Jeff Nichols that takes place in Arkansas along the Mississippi River. Released in 2012 and rated PG-13, it stars Matthew McConaughey as Mud and Reese Witherspoon as Juniper. It also features a young Tye Sheridan as Ellis and his best friend Neckbone played by Jacob Lofland. 

 

While exploring the Mississippi River and previously flooded islands in and around Arkansas without their parents’ knowledge, two teenage boys, Ellis and Neckbone, find a boat in a tree, most likely left there by the last flood, and decide to check it out. Instead of finding an abandoned boat, they find a boat someone has been living in, Mud, a fugitive who begins telling them stories, and keeps them interested enough when they return home, they keep their mouths shut.

 

It’s summer so there’s no school as the boys go about their days. Ellis works with his father for extra money selling fish off the back of their truck. During the course of the movie it is learned Ellis’s parents are getting a divorce over their houseboat, which his mother owns and wants to sell, but his father wants to keep. The father also makes his living on the river and accepts that his way of life will end once the houseboat is gone.

 

Back on the island, Mud begins telling the boys about honor, being a man, life, love and other fundamental things. Even though Mud is obviously in hiding, the two boys seem to listen to him and have a strange respect for him. The boys have each other, but they seem to be short on answers, so they keep returning to Mud to see what he says. During this time, since Mud has to hide on the island, he depends on fishing and whatever the boys bring him to eat. While accepting a small load of Beenie Weenies he says my favorite line, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s tough to make a meal out of pumpkin pie filling.” Through this, while a friendship begins to grow, the boys spot Mud’s girlfriend Juniper in town. The police begin ramping up their search for him. Because of Mud’s past and his history with Juniper, he tells a tale that he committed his crime of murder in the name of love. One of the boys asks him, “You did it for her, because you loved her?” The boys begin to build this idea of what it means to be a man, and it gives both of them hope, even in the worst of circumstances. 

 

Even though Mud has romantic ideas, and it gives the boys meaning, sometimes life just doesn’t work out the way we want it to, even if our intentions are pure. Although Mud doesn’t want to break everyone’s heart, he does, and the boys have to face up to that, even if it’s not his fault. There are gangsters out looking for Mud who will do anything to kill him. This movie is action packed, even if it takes a while to get there. Try it, you’ll enjoy it, right now you can find it on Amazon Prime.