The Mudge Boy
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DVD Cover Information Actor: Emile Hirsch, Pablo Schreiber, Richard Jenkins, Tom Guiry, Zachary Knighton Director: Michael Burke (IV) DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen Running Time: 94 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-05-09 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Strand Releasing |
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Movie Reviews of The Mudge Boy
Movie Review: "What is wrong with you, boy!"
Summary: 5 Stars
The fifteen-year-old Duncan (Emile Hirsch) and his laconic father Edgar Mudge (Richard Jenkins) are reeling after the death of the most important person in their life. Duncan's mother and Edgar's wife died suddenly, whilst biking some farm eggs to her neighbor. An alcoholic, she was the glue that tethered this family together, and her death has left Duncan and Edgar emotionally fragile and at a loss.
It isn't only his wife's passing that is bothering Edgar; he notices that Duncan's a "different" kind of boy - sensitive, kindly and delicate. Duncan constantly dotes on his pet chicken and dresses in his mother's clothes, perhaps in an effort to stay connected to him mom. At church - where he sings out of tune - a neighbor in their tiny farm community comments on how Duncan is the spitting image of his mom.
Duncan is soft, not in an effeminate way; it's just that he has an intuitiveness and a compassion that places him at odds with some of the older and rougher boys, who mock him, and call him "weird" and question his sexuality, something he's already tormented over. Was Duncan a mama's boy? Well, we're not really sure. Obviously there was incredible love between them both, but it's a love that his father is unable to replicate.
Edgar worries about his son and he loves him dearly, but he's is clueless about how to help him. He tries to get him to help out around the farm in an effort to toughen him up. He also encourages Duncan to go out with his older friends, the ringleader of which is Perry (Tom Guiry), a butch and macho town stud who likes to brag about his sexual conquests. Perry's bravado is a cover-up for his scary feelings toward Duncan, and it's only a matter of time before their relationship reaches a crisis.
Mudge Boy is the perfect example of understatement, a tale of bourgeoning same sex attraction, and also a titular exploration of the isolation of farm life. Deeply religious, Edgar could be the fire and brimstone type of father; instead he's a thoughtful, considerate and caring man, who is at a loss at how to deal with his eccentric son. Hirsch, who projects a shy modesty, is perfectly cast as Duncan - a boy who is somewhat out of his depth with the people around him, an outcast with many quirks and eccentricities.
At times, Mudge Boy can be difficult to watch, there's a quasi-rape scene, where the result of some teenage sexual experimentation reaches an ugly climax. But writer-director Michael Burke is always sensitive to his subject matter, beautifully rendering his protagonists' dysfunctions and setting them against a bucolic backdrop of Vermont farm land with it's meadows, tumbling down barns and cow patches.
Whether Duncan is sweetly ingratiating himself and getting drunk with the local in crowd, or sucking on the head of his pet chicken, he's a character who many of us will probably be able to relate to. He's desperate to fit in, confused about his bourgeoning sexuality and is undoubtedly a troubled and confused soul. The final denouement, when Duncan is forced to confront the evils of small town bigotry is absolutely heart wrenching, as is the teary and world-weary reconciliation with his father. Mike Leonard May 06