Director: Jeff Nichols

Writer: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon

Tomatometer: 98/97/88 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Two kids from Arkansas, Ellis and Neckbone, find a boat in a tree.  As any betting man might suspect, Matthew McConaughey is living in the boat in the tree.  McConaughey is laying low as he waits for his girl, Juniper, to meet up with him, so they can run away together.  He asks the boys to help find Juniper, but some bad news may have found her, already.

Two Cents: Before I go any further, the answer to your question is, “yes”. Indeed, McConaughey takes his shirt off.  Let’s continue.

There’s a saying in Hollywood that goes something like, “One for you, one for me”.  The idea behind that saying is that an actor – a real actor, not Justin Timberlake – must shoot a movie with mass appeal (a potential blockbuster) before he can take a role in a movie about which he is truly passionate (an indie).  Otherwise, he’ll fall out of the spotlight, won’t make any money, and will lose the liberty of, sometimes, working on low-budget passion projects.  Remember when Tom Hanks starred in The Da Vinci Code?  He quickly followed that with Charlier Wilson’s War.  Brad Pitt chased Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Babel, Ocean’s Thirteen with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Megamind with The Tree of Life.  Tom Cruise is the king of 14U14M.  He’s followed Mission: Impossible with Jerry Maguire, M:I-2 withVanilla Sky, Minority Report with The Last Samurai, M:I-3 with Lions for Lambs, and Tropic Thunder with Valkyrie.  Essentially, the idea is that the movies an actor does between his (or her) blockbusters prove what kind of actor he is, wants to be, or thinks he is.  Okay, you get the point.

For years, Matthew McConaughey waved a white flag and surrendered all hope for being considered a “real” actor.  From 2002 through 2009, McC starred in Reign of Fire, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Tiptoes, Sahara, Two for the Money, Failure to Launch, We Are Marshall, Fool’s Gold, Tropic Thunder, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.  (On some planets, 2008’s Surfer, Dude might be considered a passion project, so I’ll leave that one out.)  McC had been headed down a path of Affleckian forgetfulness.  Then, like the bearded Ben himself, McC pulled a career 180 in 2011.  Following his turn in The Lincoln Lawyer, Matt has starred in Bernie, Killer Joe, The Paperboy, Magic Mike, and Mud, all indies.  Not only has McC shown a new dedication to independent film, he even won his first Independent Spirit Award for his portrayal of Dallas in Magic Mike.  Apparently, he does believe in 14U14M, only he thought it meant one decade for you and one decade for me.  Of course, there’s still plenty of time for McC to stabilize or screw up his career trajectory, but if he continues down his current path, we can expect to see a whole new level of artistry from this formerly bald Texan.

Back to Mud. Although it technically premiered in 2012 (at the Cannes Film Festival), Mud might be my favorite film of 2013, so far.  It is the story of an unlikely friendship between Ellis, a young boy going through some difficulties at home, and Mud, a man on the run.  Both children of the Mississippi River, Ellis and Mud share an unwavering belief in the power of love.  The river is used as a strong symbol of dedication and loyalty throughout the movie.  

The acting from the two leads is simply exquisite.  McConaughey doesn’t quite reinvent himself, but he basically takes all the good things we’ve seen him do over the years and funnels them into a single performance.  Tye Sheridan, who plays Ellis (and played one of Brad Pitt’s sons in Tree of Life), does an outstanding job carrying the story from start to finish.  He and Jacob Lofland, who plays Neckbone, make yet another case for the difference between child actors and actors who happen to still be children.  Lindsay Lohan was a child actor.  Sheridan and Lofland have more talent in their earlobes than Lohan has MDMA in her entire body.

Reese Witherspoon doesn’t do anything too noteworthy, but she does do  a fine impersonation of someone who clearly has experience with being pulled over for a DUI.  The rest of the cast is very solid, as well.  Michael Shannon (who previously worked with Nichols on Shotgun Stories) is one of my favorite actors, so it was nice to see him, even in a small role.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: I’m extremely bummed about Mud being released in April, as I firmly believe it would have gotten some serious Oscar buzz as a December release.  (There’s still hope!  Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker was released in June.)  However, it is a privilege to see a quality film right before we all get beaten senseless by the impending barrage of summer blockbusters (or, “for you” films).  You should absolutely see Mud.  There’s no question about that.  If you prefer to see movies at home, there’s no need to see this one in a theater.  There are no special effects that demand a silver screen, but Jeff Nichols’s outstanding third film certainly demands your attention.  You may even stop wanting to punch Matthew McConaughey in the face.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream and hot fudge