Mud (2012)

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, & Tye Sheridan

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Mud is a strange coming of age story, where one boy learns that love isn't forever and that friendship comes in many different forms. Critics and fans on the movie sites I go to have been raving about this film, so I had to check it out and chime in. I agree with those who say that newcomer, Tye Sheridan, gives an amazing performance, but as for the rest of the film, I think it leaves something to be desired. While out exploring, two boys meet a strange man named Mud, stranded on an island. This man is full of stories and needs the boys help to reconnect with his girlfriend and leave the island. For starters, the film is full of inconsistencies. Mud is starving and needs these boys to bring him food, but somehow, he always has a cigarette in his mouth. One or two things could be overlooked, but the inconsistencies fill up this film. While it's a good story, there isn't a lot of substance to it and the film moves at a snails pace, another thing that tends to turn viewers away. The best thing to do would have been to use flashbacks in Mud's stories to fill the time, instead there are a lot of symbolic scenes of people lost in thought, the business of the town, the kids hanging out, it was very methodical, but also very dull. Matthew McConaughey plays Mud and does a decent job, the problem doesn't lie with him. The film is based on this guy, and for a character with such an interesting past, he really is a sad, dull guy. The only real positive I took away from this film was Tye Sheridan, who plays one of the boys. He does a tremendous job as he starts to realize that love isn't everlasting. To see how this character matures from the beginning of the film to the end, is really remarkable, but it's not unique. Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen similar stories, where the film is much more interesting and the same thing ends up happening. Mud is ambitious and may be the start of a long career for two young actors, but ultimately it's long, slow, and forgettable.