Mud is Indie Perfection

My mom really only likes comedies and romantic movies but I wanted to go see Mud as well as get her out of the house so she surprisingly agreed to come with me. Mud stars Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon but the movie really revolves around two young boys who find the fugitive Mud, played by Matthew McConaughey and agree to help him connect with the love of his life, Juniper, played by Reese Witherspoon. 

 I went into the film assuming the movie was about Mud but it is so much more. It’s about the time when children learn that love is not all they think it is as the main little boy’s parents go through a separation, he gets his heartbroken by a girl at school, and even Mud and Juniper’s relationship isn’t all it seems. It’s that moment when you’re a kid and you realize everything Disney has told you about love is much more complicated. I thought that was an absolutely brilliant lesson and the way it was delivered through the boy willing to do anything to help Mud because Mud is in love. Mud’s love is so important to the boy because then his definition of love isn’t completely destroyed. However, all of the events with Mud force the boy to reevaluate what love actually is and be okay with this change. 

The best friend to the boy is brilliant by his willingness to stick by his friend through everything and really shows what it means to be a best friend. The writer/director Jeff Nichols did a wonderful job showing how children will help someone in need regardless of circumstance. Children do not judge. If someone needs help then they help. I loved the innocence and the spirit the two boys had. 

 Michael Shannon was incredible as always as the best friend’s uncle. He could have easily been absent and uncaring as an uncle who was stuck with his brother’s kid but instead he compassionate. watchful, and  an incredible guardian. Not to mention, his constant innovation to make diving for clams easier was just awesome and showed how unassumingly smart he is. 

 The cast was perfect and the characters were incredibly complex and well-rounded. It was refreshing to have a story full of characters that could totally exist in the real world. 

 If you ever get the chance in the future, go see this movie. Seriously. Although it’s a small, indie film, it’s one of the best ones that have come out this summer. And my mom loved (and she never likes anything like this).