His name is "Mud"

I often think of Matthew McConaughey as a doofy, fun loving pretty boy. Historically, he hasn't been known for serious roles. Of course, after "Dallas Buyers Club", that all changed. Before that film, however, his serious side came out in the indie film "Mud".

Playing a seemingly not-quite-safe drifter, he befriends two local mischievous kids in a small Arkansas town. The boys Ellis and "Neckbone", after taking a joyride on one of their father's boat to a nearby island, find a boat lodged high up in a tree. After exploring the boat, they find that someone has been living in it. Enter Mud, the hopelessly lovesick drifter who is in search of Juniper, the love of his life. Of course, with any love story, there's a soap opera drama backstory.

Mud has a relentless love for Juniper, despite her ambivalent feelings toward him. He believes that if he works hard enough, he can win her heart, even though she has rejected him in the past. His passionate love blocks out the past and current reality, and creates for himself an ideal future with him and Juniper together. As the person of his love, Juniper isn't exactly ideal. Sure, she's attractive, but her poor decisions have put her in harms way before, and her flight from Mud, who vows to take care of her, has caused her much pain and anguish.

There's no grand scheme or huge message in the film. It's a fairly simple love story between two small town people, which the film does a good job of portraying. Reese Witherspoon, who plays Juniper, does an amazing job playing a woman who is broken but wants some element of excitement and danger in her man. This adds some great tension between herself and Mud. The coming of age sub-plot that Ellis goes through adds very well to the story arc of the film, as his pursuit of an older girl slightly mirrors the rejection that Mud goes through with Juniper.

Sometimes in love, our name also is Mud.