Instead of talking about the story and script of Mud (barring some minor issues, it's damn good), or the acting (The Matthew McConaughey renaissance proves to be one of the best comebacks of recent memory), I'd like to focus on the thing that I found made Mud so very special: Texture

What do I mean when I say "texture"? Well, you ever watch a movie, and you feel it? Almost like you're actually in it? That's what I call "texture". The more you can feel a movie, the more authentic it feels, and the more authentic it feels, the better invested you are in it.

Authenticity is important. Even if we're watching a Science Fiction film, as long as the…

With his third feature, writer-director Jeff Nichols, announces himself as one of the great American directors of his generation delivering a heartfelt and evocative coming-of-age drama about love and loss. Set in the backwater estuaries of Arkansas, Mud is the story of two adolescent friends - Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) - and their relationship with the titular Mud, a drifter and fugitive washed in on the bayou tide. Discovering a kindred spirit they agree to help this stranger in need and reunite him with his girlfriend.

Mud, much like the eponymous character, is wrapped up in the shaggy-dog mythology of the Mississippi. It’s a Southern fable rich in character and texture - a story born from the…

Mud is a 2012 coming of age drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, and Reese Witherspoon. On a $10 million budget, Mud grossed $32.60 million worldwide and has a certified fresh score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Two young boys (Tye and Jacob) encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the vigilantes that are on his trail and to reunite him with his love. Mud is a great teenage adventure movie with an intriguing plot that draws you further into the movie. Its one of the most original storylines I've ever seen, and that adds to the enjoyment of this film as its unlike…

Jeff Nichols’ Mud is a beautiful coming of age film. Not only is it beautiful but also, compelling, thrilling, heartily emotional and a well-rounded film.

Nichols takes ample time, to sculpt each character in the film making them well fleshed out. This provided for an incredibly rewarding watch with a tremendous sense of feeling and affinity to the characters. No one in this film seemed like an additional baggage or being shoe horned into the story to take it forward. Everyone has a part to play, an important part at that too. Never did the 2 hour long film seemed overdrawn. It took its time sinking in every speckle of beauty in the beautiful southern setting of the Arkansas backwaters,…

One of the most A24 movies not to be distributed by the company, the film follows two young boys who after going for a boat drive stumble upon a hanging boat in a tree at a small island who belongs to a mysterious yet intriguing man aka the titular character, Mud.

The greatest asset of this movie hands down has to be the way how Jeff Nichols translates the classic narrative features and tone of Mark Twain (especially Tom Sawyer) and translates into this sorta atemporal slow burn of a comedy-of-age with a few elements of thriller throw in the mix. Performances by everyone are pretty great, especially by Tye Sheridan on his best role yet who has to much…

This film wasn't alright, alright, alright... It was awesome, awesome, awesome! This might be my favorite performance by Matthew McConaughey yet. He was perfect casting for a memorable antihero role with these specific qualities.

This is the rare type of film that feels very intimate and laid back while not sacrificing any of its engrossing small-scale energy or distinctly cinematic storytelling allure. I've only been moderately impressed with the other couple films that I've seen from Jeff Nichols, but he directs this story with a really wonderful feel, fully intimate and involving. You are placed well within the perspective of the two young teenagers heading up the cast alongside Matthew McConaughey, who is the de facto starring lead. More specifically,…

A stellar piece of cinema that got me in love with the movies ! Well assisted me on the way anyway. And also where I found my then-obsession for Tye Sheridan, who for me has yet to perform on the level he does here (outshining McConaughey is no easy task). Would love this level of McConnaisance to continue ASAP, our man just hasn’t been getting the roles recently. Such a chilled and quiet yet layered performance as the titular character, in a coming-of-age film that cruises cooly like a boat going down-river - the Mississippi River to be exact -, before navigating thunderously up-river onto riskier n more treacherous water in exhilarating fashion. 

Deflecting against the town where Tye Sheridan’s…

I re-watched Mud tonight to see if it could live up to my previous viewing. Much like The Place Beyond the Pines, it does add up but it actually improved. TPBTP had one of the greatest acts of the century but faltered after its first 40 minutes. Jeff Nichols’s Mud, however, doesn’t ever really falter at all – consistently great cinema.

What my re-watch showed me, was that it gets the little things right to amplify the big picture of it all. From Mud telling Neckbone that he’ll teach him something his daddy never did (which segways to a small side story of Neckbone being raised by his uncle) to Mud’s animalistic traits such as leaving his mark on the…

One of my favourite authors is Charles Dickens. He writes in a language you can almost taste, language that begs to be uttered and to roll off your tongue. It comes to life because of the way he chooses to express himself. Jeff Nichol's cinematic voice and his latest creation Mud have those exact same qualities.

Nichols has created an absolutely gorgeous adventure story and coming of age tale that immerses its audience in an almost mystical piece of America, filled with interesting characters and made tactile by stunning cinematography.

I guess I'm almost hardwired to like this film as I always love this type of story. What makes Mud stand out head and shoulders above most of them is…

Many people (especially in the South) will see this movie because of Matthew McConaughey, but the real story within the film is the acting from the boy who plays Ellis, Tye Sheridan. I will continue to preach that McConaughey is gold in roles outside of the common chick flick we're all accustomed to seeing him involved with. It goes back to Lincoln Lawyer, Bernie, Killer Joe, etc... Mud is a movie about a love story that isn't really a love story. The relationship between Ellis and Mud overshadows the relationship of Mud and June, played by Reese Witherspoon. She easily acclimates to the role of distressed southern belle. Sam Shepard is the aloof neighbor on the river who pops his…