2 for the Best-of List

Two of our favorite movie experiences of the year happened over last weekend: the rental "Mud" and the newish release, "20 Feet From Stardom."

MUD (A-minus) - This one was headed for a perfect grade until the final 20 minutes. Even so, "Mud" is the best drama of the year so far.

Writer/director Jeff Nichols follows up the harrowing "Take Shelter" with a pulpier but lighter story of the South.  Two 14-year-old boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone, are Arkansas river rats who discover a fugitive named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) living on a nearby island. McConaughey is just so easy to watch, slipping smoothly into character.

Reese Witherspoon, looking sad and spooky in her own version of exile, is the troubled woman Mud pines for -- and the trap that awaits him on the mainland. Sam Shepard is some sort of retired assassin who observes the proceedings from his lair; he's a moody father figure to Mud and like a grumpy grandfather to the boys. Young Ellis deals with his squabbling parents (including an emasculated dad), while Neckbone hangs with his randy uncle Galen (Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter's" star in a minor turn here). The boys delight in the adventure of helping Mud get a treed boat functional again, while the boys navigate the various stormy adult relationships they can't seem to escape

Mud's rapport with the boys is a delight. Sheridan, especially, is a revelation; he gives the best performance of the year so far. His outburst against Mud in a climactic scene was the moment when I thought this might be a great film. This is a very male coming-of-age film with generations of men from teen to twilight dealing with the classic boy-meets-girl, boy-shoots-girl's-lover, boy-loses-girl scenario. Nichols gets to the heart of male angst, though he too often uses women as props and convenient sources of blame.

As noted, this gets messy in the final 20 minutes, with corny heroics and a too-neat ending. But despite the film's minor flaws, Nichols has a compelling story and the perfect cast to entertain the hell out of you. 

"20 FEET FROM STARDOM" (A-minus) - This is far from a perfect documentary, but it was one of the best experiences I've had this year in a movie theater. It is uplifting and full of fine music.

"20 Feet" looks back at the golden era of backup singers -- the 1960s, '70s and '80s.  The star is Darlene Love, who is the prototypical example of the gifted backup singer who stumbles while going solo, drops out of the business and finally finds late-career success and recognition -- epitomized by her long-running annual holiday appearance with David Letterman singing the iconic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

The front-men (Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, among them) are kind and complimentary. Sting is especially sweet in paying tribute to those who make him sound a lot better, and he has a healthy perspective about his own luck in making it big.

Director Morgan Neville knows he has a winner on his hands, and he doesn't overplay his hand. He takes a light touch (almost irresponsibly so at times) and lets the women and the superstars who are in their debt just spin stories.

Merry Clayton recalls being dragged out of bed, wearing curlers, for a late-night session with the Rolling Stones to record her memorable vocals for "Gimme Shelter" ("Rape, murder -- it's just a shot away"). She spins a great story, although -- in a good example of the lightweight nature of the production -- the filmmakers let her embellish the tale (she claims to have never heard of the band at the time, even though it was 1969 and they'd been stars for four years).

We also get a glimpse into the personal lives of a few other singers. Claudia Lennear has an older woman's pride in her run as a sex symbol and member of the furiously frenetic dancers backing Ike and Tina Turner. Lisa Fischer reveals a conflicted inner life, coming to terms with a career in the shadows of Luther Vandross, Tina Turner and the geezer version of the Stones, content with one semi-successful solo album more than 20 years ago.

Much of the music here takes on added meaning. With their histories fleshed out, overplayed songs like "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Sweet Home Alabama" sound fresh and fun when our attention is drawn to the background vocals. And that's what this movie does. It finally puts these singers in the spotlight, and it gives us a new appreciation for the full dimension of the music of the past two generations.

"20 Feet From Stardom" teaches and entertains, with a life-affirming message that will resonate with anyone who cares about popular music.