Mud
Short description
Mud is a drama set along the Mississippi River in Arkansas, where two fourteen-year-old boys, Ellis and Neckbone, spend their days exploring the water and its islands. On one such trip they find a boat lodged in a tree after a flood and discover it is already occupied by a man named Mud, who has a snake tattoo and is hiding from both the police and bounty hunters. He has come there to wait for his lover, Juniper, and the boys agree to help him repair the boat so the two can leave together. Ellis, whose parents are struggling at home, becomes deeply invested in Mud's story, though the man's account of his past is not easy to verify. The boys' involvement grows more dangerous as a posse closes in.
Jeff Nichols wrote and directed the film, his third feature, following Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter, and later followed by Loving, Midnight Special, The Bikeriders and Love Letter to Texas. Matthew McConaughey plays Mud, with Reese Witherspoon as Juniper and Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland as the boys; Sam Shepard and Ray McKinnon appear among the credited cast of 26.
Made for about 10 million dollars, Mud earned roughly 33 million worldwide. It holds a critics' rating of 8 out of 10 from 183 reviews, higher than its audience scores of 7.3 on IMDb from around 199,000 votes and 7.1 on TMDB from over 3,000 votes, indicating stronger critical than general audience approval.
What's left behind the scenes
- Before filming, Jeff Nichols described the project as a Sam Peckinpah-directed adaptation of a Mark Twain story.
- Filming lasted eight weeks.
- Jeff Nichols really wanted Michael Shannon to play the lead role, but Shannon's involvement in 'Man of Steel' (2013) made that idea impossible. He eventually managed to carve out a few days to film the role of Galen.
- About half of the film crew were natives of Arkansas. Furthermore, over 400 local residents were involved in the filming process as extras.
- The island shown in the film is located near Yoder, Arkansas.
- Chris Pine was considered for the role of Mad.
- Jeff Nichols conceived of the film's concept back in the 1990s.
- When Ellis encounters Mad on the beach and then runs away, it's visible that his jeans on his left leg are soiled with dirt. In the next scene, his trousers are completely clean.
- The character of Tom Blankenship was named after a real person whom Mark Twain based Huckleberry Finn on. Blankenship became a judge in real life.
- Mada's main trait is his superstitious attachment to his shirt. Interestingly, in real life, Matthew McConaughey was repeatedly ridiculed for his habit of going shirtless.
- Mad says that the same antivenom cannot be administered to the same person twice. This is partially true, as reusing first-generation antivenoms caused severe allergic reactions, but modern antivenoms can be used safely multiple times.
- The character Carver, who is looking for Mad, drives an eighth-generation Cadillac Eldorado ETC. The Cadillac Eldorado is an American personal luxury car manufactured by Cadillac, a division of GM, from 1953 to 2002. It was the flagship of Cadillac's two-door car line and one of the most expensive cars of the brand.
- Jeff Nichols wrote the role of Tom Blankenship specifically for Sam Shepard.
- Over 2000 boys auditioned for the role that went to Jacob Lofland.
- At the time of filming, this film was the largest project ever shot in Arkansas.
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