So I've begun to witness the strange phenomena that has been happening over the last few years but I was too stubborn to acknowledge. Its called the McConaissance.
Matthew McConaughey...
Not long ago, the only thing you could find McConaughey in was sappy chick flicks like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
I never really hated the guy. I just didn't take him seriously. I liked him in Sahara (a movie a lot of people apparently didn't like) but I never saw him as a serious actor.
And when he started showing up in new movies, I was very skeptical. I didn't think the guy had it in him to be anything other than eye candy for women. I mean you could do a drinking game to how many time this guy goes without a shirt in his movies (even the new ones) but you would probably die of alcohol poisoning.
But suddenly he starts showing up in these new movies and by god, the man actually has some talent beyond that (Ill admit) gorgeous smile and shirtless scenes. This new wave of movies and acting has been entitled The McConaissance. But is it all its cracked up to be?
I've started my observation of the McConaissance watching the first few episodes of True Detective.
I will get to True Detective, don't you worry. There is a shit load that I can say about that piece of wonder.
I'll start my series on the McConaissance with a little indie film simply titled, Mud. This is not totally by choice. It just happened to be a film I got from a friend's computer and I didn't feel like I should go balls to the wall with Dallas Buyers Club. I haven't seen it yet. I'm going to go into it with an open mind, say all you want about it but I'm remaining objective. I'm still slightly skeptical of this phenomena.
But onto Mud.
If you think this movie is about Matthew McConaughey, you're wrong.
These two are two simple kids from Arkansas who come across a stranger by the name of Mud (enter McConaughey).
Mud tells them that he is waiting for his girlfriend to come so they can run away together. But the boys figure out that Mud is actually a wanted criminal for murdering someone. Mud says it was somebody who was hurting his girlfriend, Juniper (played by Reese Witherspoon)
What follows is a complex, and quite frankly strange series of twists and turns that make up this coming of age tale.
While this is all happening. Ellis's parents are getting a divorce. He has this weird fling with a girl who is quite older than him. And Ellis holds onto this strange concept of love, a concept that is only strengthened by his relationship with Mud. The boys begin helping Mud with his escape. All the while the cops and bounty hunters are hunting Mud for the murder he committed.
I think its just more of the part that intrigues me. What I've found from True Detective and this movie is that McConaughey is trying to shed the pretty boy status he's had for years and show us a gritty, more introspective McConaughey. The kind of guy who is a loner and yet has that charismatic tongue with the Texan accent that just says words in a very specific way.
I don't know, its hard to explain. Both in this movie and in True Detective, he has these rants that are just beyond anything that people should actually be talking about.
Its not over the top in this film like it is in True Detective (again, we'll get to that in another review) but there's something strange about McConaughey. Something just oddly unpredictable...
Now as far as the kids go, these actually aren't child actors. At least not in the way it used to be. While this kid is suppose to be 14, he's actually 17. But he looks younger... which was weird.
But he did a good job. Tye Sheridan may not be the best actor ever but he did a good job with the script. I wasn't wild about this movie being about a kid at first but I do care about the characters throughout. I don't want anything to happen to Ellis or Neckbone. I don't like seeing them get in trouble. And that's really what good story telling is. It makes the characters relatable
Like I said before, there's a weird thing going on with Ellis and this girl who is much older than him and he thinks she is his girlfriend. It all works together with the relationship between Mud and Juniper, the relationship between Ellis's parents, I don't know there's this great message of love and relationships that all come with a coming of age tale. The one thing I was bummed about was that when things don't go well with him and his "girlfriend" I was waiting for a scene like this.
Being the action and thriller junkie I am, things get really good when bounty hunters come and mess with Juniper and Mud. These are the moments you get to know more and more about Mud and thats the great part. You can't tell if he's a con man or a sucker. And it all connects, which makes this movie really good. There are so many themes and such spread throughout the film that even though there's only one or two action scenes, that's not what the movie is about.
Again, while it doesn't completely sell me on the idea that McConaughey is a great actor and a force to be reckoned with... yet. It does tell me the guy can do more than Rom Coms.
There's a complicated side to McConaughey's acting and Mud shows that side of him in a great way. Its something totally different than what you've seen of him and I personally think it was a great way to start off the McConaissance for me.
But those are my thoughts on Mud. What did you think? What are your thoughts on the McConaissance and what are the movies that I need to watch in order to sell me on this idea. Comment and Discuss below!
I'll leave you with this. So Matt Damon does a really funny impression of Matthew McConaughey. I only thought it was necessary for that to be the video I put up. Enjoy!
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