Mud parents guide

Mud Parent Guide

In this PG-13 rated film, love hurts, life isn't easy and sometimes those who deserve to pay for their crimes don't.

Overall C

Exploring along the river, two young boys (Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland) encounter a man (Matthew McConaughey) who is hiding from the law while trying to find his true love (Reese Witherspoon).

Release date April 26, 2013

Violence C
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C-
Substance Use C

Why is Mud rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Mud PG-13 for some violence, sexual references, language, thematic elements and smoking.

Run Time: 135 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Matthew McConaughey looks a little rougher for wear in the movie Mud. But don’t worry. If you’ve paid good money to see the chiseled-chested actor take off his shirt, he does—albeit it briefly. Rather than the usual romantic lead, McConaughey plays a murderer on the run. As Mud, he holes up on an island in the Arkansas bayou where rot and riffraff seem to spontaneously generate. His plan is to retrieve an old boat, which was lodged in the top of a tree during a massive flood, and use it to make his escape with his ladylove Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).

While he waits for her to arrive in the small town on the shoreline, he meets two young teens. Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) also knows about the boat in the tree. When the adolescent convinces his friend Ellis (Tye Sheridan) to come with him to the island to see the trashed treasure, they stumble upon Mud who has taken up residence in the stranded vessel.

This script by Jeff Nichols has a nod to Huckleberry Finn written all over it. Like the duke and the dauphin in Mark Twain’s famous novel, Mud is a swindler of consummate skill. Before long he has the two leery boys doing his bidding—stealing all kinds of supplies to repair the boat. In addition to that, he has the pair relay messages to Juniper who has shown up in town and is holed up in a second rate hotel. Along the way Ellis and Neckbone discover the State Patrol, a bounty hunter and the murdered victim’s family are all looking for Mud.

But Ellis’ life is more complex than just his involvement with Mud. All around him he sees distorted messages about love. At home his parents (Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson) argue when his mother threatens to move out. He’s obsessed with a high school girl (Bonnie Sturdivant) who hardly admits he exists. And he has a romantic view of Mud and Juniper’s relationship, which turns out to be much different than he imagines.

A certain amount of infatuation angst isn’t unusual among teens—especially in a coming-of-age tale. But it seems as if almost every character we meet suffers from some romantic delusion or disappointment. Meanwhile these teens spit out scatological expletives with reckless abandon. Frequent depictions of smoking, domestic violence and crude catcalls show up in this script as well.

Mud’s appearance on the island serves as a catalyst in the maturing process of these two young friends. And the life lessons they learn during the weeks the spend hauling boatloads of stolen items across the river to the island aren’t always easy ones for them to digest. In this PG-13 rated film, love hurts, life isn’t easy and sometimes those who deserve to pay for their crimes don’t.

Directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon. Running time: 135 minutes. Theatrical release April 26, 2013. Updated

Mud
Rating & Content Info

Why is Mud rated PG-13? Mud is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence, sexual references, language, thematic elements and smoking.

Violence: A man punches a woman and pushes her to the ground threatening her with a knife. When another character intervenes he is punched and threatened. Characters are involved in fistfights. A boy is bitten by a snake. Characters surround a house and fire shots into it. Some characters are killed. A body is seen lying in a pool of blood. A character slaps another. A character packs a gun for protection.

Sexual Content: Two boys find a stack of pornographic magazines featuring scantily clad women on the cover. A boy asks his friend if he touched a girl’s breasts. A girl kisses a boy. Some crude sexual innuendo is included.

Language: The script contains frequent scatological slang, some terms of Deity and other profanities. Crude sexual comments and slang terms, along with a sexual hand gesture are also included.

Alcohol / Drug Use: One character smokes on several occasions. Others drink in a bar or at home. Characters talk about drinking.

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Mud Parents' Guide

How is marriage portrayed in this story? How does the separation of Ellis’ parents’ marriage affect the teen? How is love portrayed in other relationships?

How do the boys justify stealing items for Mud?

What role does the river play in the lives of the people who live on it or alongside it?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Mud movie is August 6, 2013. Here are some details…

Mud is releasing to home video (Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Digital Copy) on August 6, 2013. Bonus extras include:

- Audio commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Nichols

- “A Very Personal Tale: Writing and Directing Mud” featurette

- “The Arkansas Ensemble: The Distinctive Characters and Cast of Mud” featurette

- “Southern Authenticity: Shooting the Real Arkansas” featurette

- “The Snake Pit: The Slithering Costars of Mud” featurette

Related home video titles:

Mark Twain’s story The Adventures of Huck Finn also features two boys who meet a fugitives along the banks of a river. The young actor Tye Sheridan can also be seen in The Tree of Life. Another child lives at the mercy of a great river in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

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