98% Mud

All Critics (121) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (2)

Nichols has a strong feeling for the tactility of natural elements-water, wood, terrain, weather.

Nichols takes his time with the story, dwelling on how the boy is shaped by the killer's tragic sense of romance, yet the suspense holds.

"Mud" isn't just a movie. It's the firm confirmation of a career.

"Mud" unfolds at its own pace, revealing its story in slivers. The performances are outstanding, especially from Sheridan, who plays tough, sweet, vulnerable and confused with equal conviction.

The film is drenched in the humidity and salty air of a Delta summer, often recalling the musical, aphoristic cadences of Sam Shepard, who happens to appear in a supporting role.

A wonderful, piquant modern-day variation on "Huckleberry Finn.''

'Mud' is a standout film in this 'coming of age' genre mainly because of its central character, one tough, warm-hearted, stubborn little kid who believes in the power of love, above all else.

Other than pacing problems that needlessly stretch the film past the two-hour mark, 'Mud' slings the dirt and sweat with the best of them, as it both mourns and celebrates a way of life that's all but disappeared.

A sublime coming-of-age film, 'Mud' would be the offspring if 'Stand By Me' and 'Cape Fear' reproduced.

Mud is a movie of striking performances and memorable images and of people who seem to belong in rather than being imposed upon their environment.

A brilliant metaphor for how a child deals with divorce.

This might be Mud. But it deserves to stick.

This is a film that gives McConaughey the chance to be an actor rather than a star, and, not for the first time, he grabs the opportunity.

Gone is the rom-com character and emphasis on a toothy smile and six-pack abs. Matthew McConaughey is showing off some acting chops.

Mud is, perhaps, a little longer than it needed to be, but few sensitive viewers will begrudge Nichols his indulgence. This director is the real thing.

Writer-director Nichols continues to get inside the heads of his characters with this involving but overlong dramatic thriller.

McConaughey is terrific but the picture is really made by the fierce and unforgettable performance of Tye Sheridan as Ellis.

a film that demands a certain patience, which it rewards with various emotional payoffs that aren't ever quite what you expect

Somewhere in the dreams of Mud creator Jeff Nichols, Huckleberry Finn met Aguirre, Wrath of God.

Impressively directed and beautifully shot, this is an emotionally engaging and powerfully evocative coming-of-age drama with a superb script and terrific performances from a note-perfect cast.

This richly rewarding work lightly wears influences as disparate as Huckleberry Finn and The Hustler but ultimately emerges as the unmistakeable work of Nichols, one of the rare breed of genuinely exciting directors working in Hollywood today.

The disappointing denouement is far outweighed by the overall strength of the journey to that resolution.

Nichols keeps getting better, but his masterpiece is (excitingly) still to come.

Matthew McConaughey is as compelling as we've come to expect since The Lincoln Lawyer kicked off his 2010s hot streak, as Jeff Nichols ably combines elements of Terence Malick with an all-American rural yarn.

Mud clearly sets out from frame one to run along well-worn tracks - it's like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meets Whistle down the Wind.

By setting the action within a quasi-mythic framework Nichols is able to draw us into his big adventure and help us to rediscover the whispers of youth.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mud_2012/

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