A Great Southern Movie

I don't usually watch "Southern" movies.  Gwynneth Paltrow trying to sound like Patsy Cline makes me nauseous.  The condescending attitude of Hollywood producers toward a culture they will never understand but continue to be simultaneously fascinated with and repulsed by disgusts me.  But, most of all, their failure to get the "Redneck Code" right makes me angry. Make no mistake, Rednecks have a code of ethics. When you have nothing but your pride, you will go a long way to protect it.

To start with, "Mud" uses all Southern actors.  I didn't hear a single phony accent.  Matthew McConauheigh and Reese Witherspoon were utterly convincing as a self destructive match of likeable but flawed souls. Sam Shepherd acted like he was born the river where his role took place and Joe Don Baker was utterly convincing as the Texas family patriarch seeking revenge for his abusive son's death at Mud's hands.




I probably wouldn't have the time left in this lifetime to properly explain the Redneck code.  If  you weren't born into it you probably can't understand it.  It's the kind of thing that causes a skinny fourteen year old to punch out a much larger high school senior who was fondling the girl he admired from afar. It's the kind of thing that makes you do dangerous things for a friend based on abstract principles like love and respect. It's the kind of thing that lets you understand and respect a man who killed another man over an admittedly trashy woman he can't forget. In short, it's the kind of thing that separates the men from the geldings in Redneck culture.

This is a tough movie to watch at times.  But, it is well done and it pays proper respect the people and culture it portrays.  The movie is critically acclaimed and rightly so.  It's hard to do "Southern" right but this crew did and I'm glad.