Mud (2012) Jeff Nichols

Mud (2012) Jeff Nichols [2:10]

There’s not much I can say about Mud that hasn’t already been explored so wonderfully by Cinema Enthusiast, but I will say a word or two, starting with this: if you haven’t seen any of the three films by Jeff Nichols, you should, and as soon as possible. 

Nichols’ first film, Shotgun Stories (2007) came out of nowhere to appear on many “Best of the Year” lists (including those of Roger Ebert and David Edelstein). It’s the story of a family feud between two half-brothers following the death of their father. Set in rural Arkansas (Nichols’ home state) with a title like Shotgun Stories, you might think the film would be a “rednecks-gone-wild” flick with non-stop guns blazing and buckshot flying. Not so. The film is a highly contemplative, well-thought out drama with wonderful performances, most of them by friends of Nichols. (One actor, Michael Shannon, recently General Zod in Man of Steel, appears in all three Nichols films.) One reviewer on IMDb mentioned that you watch the film waiting for something big to happen, then realize it did, but without gunshots and explosions. Oh, and Shotgun Stories had a budget of only $250,000 (dirt cheap).

Take Shelter (2011) shows a young husband/father (again, played by Michael Shannon) haunted by visions that a storm is coming that could destroy his family and entire way of life. Only no one else sees the things he sees. He desperately tries to build an underground storm shelter, in spite of his unbelieving friends and family. Take Shelter is a good drama/thriller that helped spread the word that Nichols is a director to be watched. (The budget for Take Shelter: $5 million; still pretty cheap.)

Now with Mud, Nichols proves himself to be a serious contender. He also shows how he can stretch a dollar. Mud cost $10 million to make - twice the budget of Take Shelter, but still a very inexpensive film by today’s standards. With that, he was able to get some great performances out of some pretty big names: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Joe Don Baker and an actor I hope will continue to grow and mature for many, many years, Tye Sheridan from The Tree of Life. 

I thought about summarizing the plot of Mud for you, but again, Cinema Enthusiast has already done that exceptionally well. It’s not a perfect movie: the last half hour leaves a little (not a lot) to be desired as far as plot developments and believability, but in some ways, Nichols wrote himself into a corner that he had to get out of. He did so, and maybe that was the best scenario that he could come up with (I certainly couldn’t top it), but if you can overlook that, the film works very well. Again, Cinema Enthusiast touches on a couple of other legitimate points, but those didn’t totally diminish my enjoyment of the film. 

Mud should be seen if for no other reason, to show audiences that you can make a thoughtful, meaningful film about teenage life, struggles, coming-of-age, love, and anguish. Even when he doesn’t quite succeed, Nichols is certainly not afraid of showing us both sides of the pain and joy of growing up in a world that’s broken. 

4.5/5