Mud

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Mud
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland
Directed by Jeff Nichols

Best friends Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) decide to travel down the river, and end up on a deserted island.  There they find a boat in the threes after a recent flood, and think it's uninhabited.  To their surprise, they find that Mud (Matthew McConaughey) is living there.

Mud and the boys form a friendship, and Mud tells them he came back for his girlfriend, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), but he can't get to her because of some problems from his past, so he enlists the kids' help to deliver messages to her and also gather supplies to bring the boat down so the two of them could sail away.

As they work to help Mud out, the boys also discover their own worlds of love, loss and life, forcing them to grow up faster than they ever expected.

Director Jeff Nichols delivers a modern day Mark Twain-style story set in the south.  Two young boys face the perils of real life and learn that things aren't as rosy as they appear.  It's a terrific, simplistic story that most everyone can relate to, delivered with precise precision and heartfelt emotion.

Matthew McConaughey can star in some of the worst films ever, and then he delivers surprising gems such as this.  His performance is truly Oscar-worthy, presenting Mud as a fatally flawed character, but for the big mistakes he's made in life, he did it for love.

The boys gave amazing performances of their own, drawing you into their world and forcing you to care about them and their perils, especially Ellis.  He struggles with his fighting parents, finding true love, and doing what he feels is right, even if it costs him everything.  A stirring, prolific performance.

My Rating: A

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