Mud 2012

     Ellis is 14 years old and he lives on a houseboat on the banks of a river in Arkansas with his parents, Mary Lee and Senior.  Neckbone is also 14 and he lives with his uncle, Galen.  The boys sneak away from home and they discover a small island on the Mississippi River where Mud lives.  He claims to be on the run from bounty hunters after he killed a man in Texas.  He also tells them that his true love, Juniper, is waiting for him in town. They have planned to make a daring escape together.  The boys believe everything he says and they decide to help Mud evade the hunters and reunite with Juniper.

     Ellis and Neckbone are very naïve at the beginning of this film but they learn a lot through their experiences with Mud, with their families and in town.  After viewing this film, I thought, what is the purpose?  The purpose was to show the experiences of and the growing up of the boys.  Since the director, Jeff Nichols is from Arkansas, I wonder if some of these events happened in his own life?  For once, Michael Shannon is not the craziest character!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

   

130 min Drama directed by Jeff Nichols with Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Joe Don Baker, Paul Sparks, Ray McKinnon, Bonnie Sturdivant, Johnny Cheek.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 98% critic 81% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.