Mud is interesting because if it was described in abstract terms it could almost seem like McConaughey returning to his rom-com days: he plays a rather hopeless romantic who appears to have fallen upon some hard times but is determined to do whatever it takes to win back the love of his life, played by Reese Witherspoon. Instead, it’s the latest film that features McConaughey in the title role, even though his part is not exactly the lead. In the case of Mud, that distinction goes to the young character of Ellis, who with his friend Neckbone (the greatest character name in movie history, right?) happen upon Mud living in a tree on a secluded island. That sounds way more interesting than the synopsis of Fool’s Gold, I have to say.
The movie feels very much like a kind of Mark Twain story, and McConaughey’s performance in it features a host of contradictions. He’s a hero of sorts but also a total creep who befriends these two young boys. He has the skills to live off of an island and take on a gang of bandits trying to kill him but is hopelessly naïve when it comes to love and women. And to play a character as contradictory and complex and Mud requires an actor to give loud and soft signals all at the same time, achieving simultaneous showmanship and subtlety. It may not be as flooring as his work in Bernie or Magic Mike, but his performance in Mud is central to the success of one of the best movies to come out this year. And as the fifth movie in a row in which he has knocked it out of the park, it solidifies that he’s got serious momentum as an actor right now.
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