---
title: "Mud"
year: 2013
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mud"
fi1m_id: "mud"
imdb_id: "tt1935179"
tmdb_id: 103731
wikidata_id: "Q3266461"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 28
published: "2026-09-28T00:59:47.339478+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-28T00:59:48.384383+00:00"
region: "IN"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Mud (2013)

Directed by Jeff Nichols · 2h 10m · Drama

## Identity

Mud

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/mud
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** mud
- **IMDb ID:** tt1935179
- **TMDB ID:** 103731
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3266461
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/103731, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3266461

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 80 from 28 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two boys, a fugitive, a boat in a tree and a lesson about women that nobody in the film should be giving

> Jeff Nichols’s river adventure is warm, funny and beautifully looked at for most of its 130 minutes, with a lead in Tye Sheridan who never overplays. The last half hour piles on plot and speeches, and its ideas about women are thin.

## Synopsis

Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are fourteen and live on the Mississippi in Arkansas, Ellis on his parents’ houseboat, Neckbone with his uncle Galen (Michael Shannon), who dives for mussels. They take a motorboat to an island and find a boat wedged in a tree, left by a flood. They mean to claim it. Someone already has: Mud (Matthew McConaughey), filthy, a pistol in his waistband, who says he is waiting for his girl, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and asks the boys to bring him food. Ellis’s parents, Senior (Ray McKinnon) and Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson), are coming apart, and the houseboat may go with them. Then Ellis finds out what Mud is hiding from.

## Review

Two fourteen-year-old boys take a motorboat down the Mississippi to an island and find a boat in a tree. That image, a cabin cruiser wedged in the branches by a flood, is where Jeff Nichols starts *Mud*, and it is the best idea in the film. Nichols had made two films before this, *Shotgun Stories* and [*Take Shelter*](https://film.one/film/take-shelter), both tight and anxious, and this is the one where he lets the light in. It is a good film, and for about ninety minutes we thought it might be better than that.

Richard A. Wright’s production design gives the boat real weight in the tree, moss on the hull and a proper mess inside, and Adam Stone shoots it first from below, so the keel hangs over the boys like a roof they have been promised. We felt what they felt, which is that this thing must be ours. Then a man steps out of it. Matthew McConaughey plays Mud lean and sun-cured, a chipped tooth, a white shirt he calls lucky, a pistol he does not hide, and a way of talking about snakes and signs and his girl that is half sermon and half sales pitch. He is funny, and he is plainly not safe, and Nichols keeps both in the frame at once.

What holds the film together is that Ellis needs Mud to be telling the truth. At home on the houseboat, Senior (Ray McKinnon) and Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson) are ending their marriage in low voices. So when Mud says he killed a man for love of Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and that she is coming for him, Ellis hears the one story on offer in which love is worth something. Tye Sheridan plays this with his chin up and his eyes worried, and he never asks us to like him. Jacob Lofland’s Neckbone gets the practical lines and delivers them as if he has been waiting his whole life to be the sensible one.

The edges are well filled. Michael Shannon, in a homemade diving helmet, gets perhaps three scenes as Galen and a laugh in each. Sam Shepard, as Tom, the old man across the river who raised Mud and would rather not talk about it, does a great deal with a rifle and a refusal. Witherspoon spends most of the film in a motel room with a bruise on her face, and Kari Perkins dresses her in cut-offs and cheap gold so that we see her exactly as a boy would and then, slowly, as a woman would. David Wingo’s score is mostly guitar and low electronics and knows when to stop. Stone keeps the river flat, brown and enormous in widescreen, and the town, when we get there, looks like somewhere the river has already half won.

Then the plot arrives, in the shape of King (Joe Don Baker) and Carver (Paul Sparks), the dead man’s father and brother, with hired men and a grudge. We will not describe what follows. What we can say is that the film stops looking and starts arranging. Julie Monroe’s cutting, patient for an hour and a half, starts moving people into position, and scenes begin to end on a character saying what the scene was about. Ellis makes several announcements about love that a boy of fourteen would think but not say aloud, and the film treats them as wisdom.

This is where the other weakness shows. Every woman in *Mud* is seen from Ellis’s side of the argument: the mother who is leaving, the older girl May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant) who is not as interested as he hoped, the girlfriend who may not come. The men then explain women to him, and the men doing the explaining are a fugitive and a hermit. Nichols does give Paulson one scene that pushes back, and it is a good one, but it is one scene against a whole film’s worth of boys being let down. We were irritated, and we were irritated because the first hour had earned better.

Most critics have landed roughly where we have, a little warmer. We would send you to it, with the caveat that the film you are promised in the first act is calmer and stranger than the one you get in the last. It is a 12A, and it suits a fourteen-year-old exactly. Watch it with one if you can and see which of Mud’s speeches they believe.

*Fi1m score 78, published 28 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are warm and close to unanimous, with no critic against the film. Most place it in the Mark Twain line of boys’ river adventures and find that Nichols tells a familiar story with more feeling and patience than it strictly needs. Praise clusters on Matthew McConaughey, whom several critics treat as the film’s engine, and on the young lead Tye Sheridan, whom a good number call the real standout. The Delta setting, its heat and its light, is mentioned almost everywhere.

The spread is narrow, from three stars to full marks, and the reservations are consistent. The most common complaint is the last act, which Time Out, Sight and Sound and The Wrap find overloaded with incident and more conventional than the first hour promises. A smaller dissent, from The AV Club and Collider, is that the script’s view of women is immature and the film appears to agree with it. The Independent simply finds the whole thing slight.

## Straight answers

**Is Mud worth watching?**

*Mud* is worth watching, and we scored it 78. Jeff Nichols's river adventure is warm, funny and well looked at for about ninety minutes, with a lead in Tye Sheridan who never overplays. The last half hour piles on plot and speeches, and its ideas about women are thin, so expect a good film rather than the better one the first act promises.

**How long is Mud, and what is it rated?**

*Mud* runs 2h 10m. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Mud in India?**

*Mud* is not on any streaming or rental service in India at the moment. It is available in 22 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Mud, and is it suitable for children?**

*Mud* is a 12A, and it suits a fourteen-year-old exactly. Matthew McConaughey's fugitive carries a pistol he does not hide, a woman spends much of the film with a bruise on her face, and the closing stretch brings hired men and a grudge, but none of it is dwelt on. Younger children would find it slow rather than frightening.

**How does Mud compare to The Spirit of the Beehive?**

*Mud* and [*The Spirit of the Beehive*](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive) both follow a child feeding a hidden stranger, but Víctor Erice's film is quieter, sadder and stranger, and the better of the two. Nichols gives you talk, humour and a plot that eventually takes over; Erice gives you a small girl's fascination and long, patient images that hold you at a slight distance. Choose *Mud* for an evening with a teenager, *Beehive* when you want to sit still.

**What should I watch after Mud?**

After *Mud*, try [*The Spirit of the Beehive*](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive) (1973, Fi1m 87): A small girl feeds a hidden stranger in Franco’s Spain; quieter, sadder, stranger. Then [*Stand by Me*](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me) (1986, Fi1m 88): Four boys walk the railway line towards something they should not see; and [*The Night of the Hunter*](https://film.one/film/the-night-of-the-hunter) (1955, Fi1m 91): Two children flee down the river by night from a preacher with tattooed hands.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **IndieWire**, Erik McClanahan (A): The film shows Nichols and McConaughey at the top of their games in a deeply felt, thrilling coming-of-age story. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-deeply-felt-thrilling-mud-shows-director-jeff-nichols-matthew-mcconaughey-at-the-top-of-their-games-98955/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a triumph and one of the most creatively rich and emotionally rewarding of the year. She singles out Matthew McConaughey's best career performance and Jeff Nichols' authentic storytelling in the Mark Twain tradition. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-apr-25-la-et-mud-20130426-story.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Nichols's exhilarating coming-of-age tale as a vivid southern parable evoking Mark Twain and Sam Peckinpah, with strong performances from McConaughey and the young leads amid memorable riverine imagery. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/12/mud-jeff-nichols-review)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The review describes the film as deft and absorbing, centered on a wondrous boat-in-a-tree image that enchants the boys. It praises Matthew McConaughey's intense, funny performance as a battered Southern loner. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/movies/mud-stars-matthew-mcconaughey-and-reese-witherspoon.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Steve Macfarlane (3.5/4): The film succeeds thanks to small details like location photography and expert cast, particularly Sheridan's winning performance, despite an overstuffed plot. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mud/)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (85/100, inferred): Bold, intelligent 21st-century take on Mark Twain with mythic and supernatural elements, strong McConaughey performance, and excellent young leads. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mud-review/)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby (85/100, inferred): The critic hails the marvellous adventure film for its intimacy with textures and moods and Nichols' talent for continuous tension. It singles out the Twain-like understanding of boys' loyalty, adventure, and chivalry. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/life-on-the-mississippi)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (85/100, inferred): Nichols delivers fluid storytelling and transparent emotion, with standout performances especially from Sheridan and McConaughey making the familiar tale engrossing. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/movie-review-mud.html)
- **Evening Standard** (80/100, inferred): Eloquent coming-of-age epic mixed with rustic tall story that gives McConaughey a strong acting role amid beautiful Delta scenery and fine supporting performances. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mud-film-review-8610417.html)
- **Film Comment**, Violet Lucca (80/100, inferred): Nichols avoids clichés in this coming-of-age story, instead showing the humor, frustration, and sadness of youth. The film excels in tying its mystery to the realities of growing up and in its vivid evocation of small-town Southern life. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/review-mud-matthew-mcconaughey-jeff-nichols/)
- **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a lean, captivating adventure that transcends Nichols's prior work with thrills, surreal tensions and strong kid performances in a Huckleberry Finn-like tale of boys aiding a fugitive. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/b85edc96-b892-11e2-a6ae-00144feabdc0)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/4/4): Nichols shifts toward a more sentimental and innocent tone than his previous films but the result remains affecting, with the young lead Tye Sheridan delivering the standout performance as the idealistic Ellis. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/mud)
- **Radio Times**, Trevor Johnston (4/5): This rites-of-passage story echoes Huckleberry Finn and Stand by Me; it is in no hurry to unfold but is beautifully done, exquisitely performed, and filled with terror and wonder. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dsyfog/mud/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): Nichols tells a familiar story with elegance, wit and poignancy, eliciting fine performances especially from the young lead Tye Sheridan; the result is a confident, nuanced, richly satisfying coming-of-age story. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/mud/5042748.article)
- **The Telegraph**, David Gritten (80/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as a wonderful showcase for McConaughey in a coherent, place-specific story of boys aiding a fugitive, marking another strong work from Nichols and the actor's rehabilitation. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10018094/Sundance-London-film-festival-Mud-review.html)
- **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (B): It is a splendid showcase for McConaughey's rascally charm and offbeat details, though subplots introduce a retrograde thesis about fickle women. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/mud-1798176590)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (75/100, inferred): The film is a well-carpentered piece marked by fine performances and resilient thematic fiber, with the boys' characters keeping it emotionally credible despite some dramatic conveniences. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mud-cannes-review-329907/)
- **Total Film**, Jane Crowther (75/100, inferred): Pleasingly reminiscent of sun-dappled boys' own adventures evocative of time and place, with sticky heat and fried chicken atmosphere. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/mud-review/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Geoff Andrew (70/100, inferred): Nichols delivers a pleasingly fresh Southern river adventure that owes a debt to Mark Twain, with deft characterisations and a sense of complexity in the boys' perspective. The final act falls into generic contrivance and cliché. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/newsandviews/festivals/blog/cannes-2012-05-26-mud.php)
- **The Independent** (60/100, inferred): Well-acted and atmospheric Southern coming-of-age tale in the Tom Sawyer tradition, though slight overall. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/also-showing-mud-and-village-at-the-end-of-the-world-8612324.html)
- **Time Out**, Guy Lodge (3/5): Nichols handles the transition to a broader, starrier project with relative confidence and conjures serene widescreen imagery, but the film is disappointing in its conventionality and overlong, muddled last act. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mud-1)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A): The critic calls the film a brilliantly constructed and emotionally satisfying experience with excellent character work and direction from Nichols. McConaughey's magnetic performance is singled out as magnificent alongside the naturalistic turns from the young leads. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-deeply-felt-thrilling-mud-shows-director-jeff-nichols-matthew-mcconaughey-at-the-top-of-their-games-20130425/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): The film blends coming-of-age, adventure, crime-thriller and romance elements effectively with strong lead performances. It is undercut by an immature view of women that the script implicitly endorses. [Read](https://collider.com/mud-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4/5): Nichols crafts a complex coming-of-age tale with emotional depth and strong performances, especially from McConaughey. The film balances adventure with darker themes of morality and growth. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mud-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (4/5): McConaughey delivers a textured performance as the charismatic fugitive Mud in this ode to innocence. Nichols empathizes with all characters and creates a richly layered story with a strong sense of place. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a477459/mud-review-matthew-mcconaughey-sucks-you-in-as-southern-fugitive/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Ty Cooper (4/5): The review praises the strong performances from the two young leads, especially Tye Sheridan, and Matthew McConaughey's committed turn as the titular character. It highlights the film's exploration of youthful idealism versus adult realities. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/mud-review/)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The film starts as a sweet, subtle coming-of-age story with quiet wisdom and keen observation but overloads its final act with incident and on-the-nose declarations. Nichols lovingly sketches the characters and their humid Southern world, with standout performances from the young leads and McConaughey. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/mud-review-lovely-coming-age-tale-zigs-where-zagging-would-suffice-87841/)
- **The Skinny**, Josh Slater-Williams (★★★): Nichols delivers another strong film with a potent sense of place and excellent performances in this coming-of-age adventure. The story explores themes of fathers, trust, and love with dreamy atmosphere. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/mud)

## Details

- **Director:** Jeff Nichols
- **Director:** Jeff Nichols
- **Writer:** Jeff Nichols
- **Cinematography:** Adam Stone
- **Editor:** Julie Monroe
- **Music:** David Wingo
- **Production design:** Richard A. Wright
- **Costume design:** Kari Perkins
- **Producer:** Lisa Maria Falcone, Sarah Green, Aaron Ryder
- **Cast:** Matthew McConaughey as Mud; Reese Witherspoon as Juniper; Tye Sheridan as Ellis; Jacob Lofland as Neckbone; Sam Shepard as Tom; Ray McKinnon as Senior; Sarah Paulson as Mary Lee; Michael Shannon as Galen
- **Runtime:** 2h 10m
- **Release (India):** 3 May 2013
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $10 million
- **Box office:** $33 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTEDfEhKwLo

## Where to watch in India

Not streaming, renting or buying in India at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Whistle Down the Wind* (1961): Lancashire children hide a fugitive in a barn and decide who he must be.
- *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), Fi1m 87: A small girl feeds a hidden stranger in Franco’s Spain; quieter, sadder, stranger. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.md)
- *Stand by Me* (1986), Fi1m 88: Four boys walk the railway line towards something they should not see. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me.md)
- *The Night of the Hunter* (1955), Fi1m 91: Two children flee down the river by night from a preacher with tattooed hands. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-night-of-the-hunter.md)
- *Take Shelter* (2011), Fi1m 83: Nichols’s previous film, tighter and darker, with Michael Shannon building a storm cellar. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/take-shelter.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/mud