Steve Reviews Mud

If 2012 wasn’t the year of Matthew McConaughey, then I suggest that 2013 is. He turned in stellar performances in Magic Mike, The Paperboy, and Killer Joe (increasing from left to right) last year, and he is on pace to repeat. The first offering is Mud, a dramatic film set on an unnamed Arkansas river in Small-Town America.

Two teenage boys set off down said river in a boat; their mission is to explore an unusual find on a nearby island. They find more than what they were looking for. Living on the island is Mud (McConaughey), and when he asks the lads for help, the relationship between the three of them becomes the meat of the movie.

The film is a dramatic one, with themes of love and trust and doing the right thing. One of the two boys is actually the main character of the story. The drama comes with Mud’s storyline (no spoilers here), but it’s through the boy’s relationships with Mud, his parents, his best friend, and a girl he likes that the film comes together. I found it unfortunate, though, that the payoff wasn’t as good as the setup led me to believe it would be. Everything sort of fell into place at the right times. People learned the lessons they were supposed to learn. Key pieces of information came back later at convenient moments. The film has the feel and the potential to fall in the same class with Sling Blade (1996) or Boys Don’t Cry (1999), but when it ends with a proverbial bow tied around it, it becomes forgettable. Good, but forgettable.

The acting was superb all around. The boy was wonderful, and I can’t wait to see him on screen again. McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon (in a small role) were both solid as usual. If McConaughey can keep his momentum up, the Academy may just take notice. Especially with Dallas Buyers Club coming out this fall. For those unaware, that’s the film where MM dropped like 30 pounds to play an AIDS victim in a biopic about Ron Woodroof (AIDS and Biopic = nomination guarantee). Perhaps Mud will still be in the minds of voters as well for a little boost. I doubt it will be in mine.

-Steve
5.13.2013