Mud

Wow.  "Mud" is exactly what I wanted to see.  No.  Needed to see.  Writer/director Jeff Nichols provides one of my favorite movies of the year (he also did that in 2011 with "Take Shelter").  The man seems to be making movies just for me.  His films are well written, exquisitely filmed, thoroughly engaging drams.  They all star Michael Shannon.  And his brother, Ben Nichols (front-man for Lucero who should definitely be listening to), always provides some music.  I am helpless against the siren song of Jeff Nichol's films.

"Mud" reminded me so much of "Stand By Me" that it's scary.  Of course, "Mud" is a much more adult film but the romanticism of young boys and their sense of adventure are contagious.  Any movie with kids in major roles is always cause for alarm.  Many child actors are not very good and the ones that are tend to be more like small adults (which doesn't make for believable kid performances).  Couple that with many screenwriters being incapable of writing authentic sounding dialogue for kids and you start to notice that children can practically ruin a movie. 

Well, apparently Jeff Nichols can write the hell out of a script for 14-year old boys.  But he can also cast the hell out of 14-year old boys.  Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland deserve a lot of praise for their performances.  These boys are incredible and as much as Matthew McConaughey is used to sell the movie, Sheridan and Lofland are the leads.  But that's not to say that McConaughey is not a strong presence.  Something happened in 2011.  McConaughey had been in serious movies before but never really proved himself as a great actor.  He was just a guy that the ladies liked to look at.  But then he starred in "Bernie," (hilariously awesome!) "Killer Joe," (his greatest performance) and "Magic Mike."  He's got me convinced.  Matthew McConaughey is a great actor.  And yes, he takes his shirt off in this movie.

But what is "Mud" about?  The title is the name of McConaughey's character.  Two boys who live on the river in Arkansas seek out a boat that's stuck in a tree in the woods.  They find the boat but also a fugitive named Mud who enlists the boys' help in evading the law.

"Mud" manages to be a nearly flawless movie.  Not a single shot is out of place. Not a single edit mistimed.  The score, while minimal, is perfect.  The script juggles action, humor, a teenage coming-of-age story, and divorce drama effortlessly.  I just want to watch it, and Jeff Nichols' other films, again.  He can't make another movie fast enough.

9 out of 10