Jeff Nichols’s last film as writer-director, Take Shelter, was a masterpiece of paranoia and psychological horror, whose main protagonist was either a prophet of the apocalypse or just plain mentally ill. It was the work of a young filmmaker eager to prove his talent and already confident enough in his abilities to build tension like a master. Mud, Nichols’s newest film, takes a different approach — though its climax does get pretty intense, it’s at heart a leisurely examination of the life of a teenage boy living on a houseboat in rural Arkansas. It’s not as tense or as unsettling as Shelter. It’s not as good either.
Mud tells the story of Ellis (Tye Sheridan), a 14-year-old with a lot on his mind: His parents (Sarah Paulson and Ray McKinnon) are planning to separate. The girl he likes is several years older and doesn’t know that he exists. His best friend, Neckbone (newcomer Jacob Lofland), meanwhile, is enthusiastic and loyal, but none too bright. One summer day, Ellis and Neck take a boat downriver to a nearby uninhabited island, where they encounter Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a fugitive who enlists their help to reunite with his long-lost love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).
Comparisons to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Stand By Me are perhaps inevitable, and Mud is a worthy addition to the canon of coming-of-age Americana. Every frame of the film feels authentic. Like he did with his little-seen debut, Shotgun Stories, Nichols has set Mud in his home state of Arkansas, and he channels his upbringing into capturing details of life on the river—the practicalities of residing on a houseboat, the time and labour required of selling fish for a living, the social relationships between river people and town people—creating a portrait of a world that is as rich and nuanced as it is geographically specific.
In his first-billed yet supporting role of Mud, McConaughey continues his impressive recent career resuscitation following a good decade trapped in rom-com wasteland. This is an actor who once turned in interesting and varied work throughout his early career in the '90s, and it’s good to see him caring again. 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer was the film that first seemed to indicate McConaughey’s return to meaningful projects, and he confirmed it the following year with the releases of Bernie, Magic Mike, Killer Joe, and The Paperboy — not all of them good films by any means, but films nevertheless made by distinguished directors with something real to say. In Mud, McConaughey deftly creates a man who is equal parts failure and hero, whose friendliness and charm belie a menacing past. It’s a deliciously dimensional characterization from the actor, and a welcome twist on his Southern-hippie stock persona. If all the career buzz and industry goodwill McConaughey has been building with his recent string of return-to-form performances continue, he has a good chance of landing his first Oscar nomination one of these days, but it won’t be for Mud. With an exciting upcoming slate that includes Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and the biographical AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club, look for that nod to come sooner than later.
Witherspoon likewise revives a glimmer of hope for her career with her portrayal of Juniper. In her first onscreen performance since the embarrassment that was last year’s This Means War, Witherspoon is all vulnerability and disappointment and regret. It’s genuine, heartfelt work — and certainly the best she’s been since she won her Oscar for 2005’s Walk the Line and then promptly fizzled. You’d be forgiven for forgetting how sensational Witherspoon used to be in early films like Pleasantville and especially Election, but if Mud is any indication of where she’s directing her career, then we all have reason to be optimistic. And, indeed, it seems like she’s another one who’s recommitting to real cinema; having already completed work on films by two of Canada’s most celebrated auteurs — Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) — and securing the female lead in the next Paul Thomas Anderson film, Witherspoon may soon be joining McConaughey in Redemptionland.
But without question the best performance in Mud is by 16-year-old Sheridan, who is an absolute revelation in his first lead role. Sheridan made his debut as one of Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain’s sons in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, but here he is the centre of the film, anchoring every scene with a lived-in confidence. This is a boy we’ll be seeing again.
Mud is not ultimately a film that will change anyone’s life. It’s an earnest look at what it’s like to grow up on the river in rural USA. It’s also a film that asks its viewers to reconsider how they define a hero. But more importantly it’s the absorbing story of sharply written characters with real goals who experience real emotions. When you watch Mud, you spend some time engrossed in the lives of three-dimensional human beings. And, really, what more do you want from a good movie?
