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The Mudge Boy Photos

Director Michael Burke, Thomas Guiry, Emile Hirsch

View All Photos (18)

Movie Info

Ignored by his father, Edgar (Richard Jenkins), ostracized by the local children and torn apart by the recent death of his mother, young teen Duncan Mudge (Emile Hirsch) begins behaving strangely. At first, he seeks comfort in the company of his pet chicken, and later he begins dressing in his late mother's clothing. When Mudge finds himself attracted to a local boy named Perry (Thomas Guiry), he has no one to help him understand his burgeoning homosexuality.

Rating:

R (Rape|Language|Graphic Dialogue|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Michael Burke
Producer:

Elizabeth W. Alexander, Alison Benson, Randy Ostrow
Release Date (Streaming):

May 9, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA):

$62.5K
Runtime:

1h 34m
Production Co:

First Cold Press Productions, Showtime Pictures
Sound Mix:

Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Emile Hirsch
Duncan Mudge

Thomas Guiry
Perry Foley

Richard Jenkins
Edgar Mudge

Pablo Schreiber
Brent

Zachary Knighton
Travis

Ryan Donowho
Scotty

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Mudge Boy

All Critics (26) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (6)

Condescending tone ... contrivance ... and clich.

July 22, 2004 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Matt Weitz
Dallas Morning News
Like a sturdy, well-observed short story, its narrative pieces put together with a plain elegance.

July 1, 2004 | Rating: B-

Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Mudge Boy is odd and intense, very well acted, and impossible to dismiss.

June 25, 2004 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Because the camera so closely follows Duncan -- there's scarcely a scene he's off-frame; his awkwardness is bold and unapologetic -- he sticks close to our sympathies.

June 24, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune
A little picture -- the names of the entire cast would fit on half a sheet of paper -- but it's more heartfelt than movies with 50 times the budget.

June 4, 2004 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
It's not an easy film to watch, but it is a memorable one.

May 13, 2004

Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger
Quote not available.

December 6, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Film Threat
Quote not available.

July 21, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Tender, touching and tragic ... it's also rewarding and redemptive.

March 27, 2005 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews
The seriousness is too often undercut by plot turns that are unintentionally risible...Hirsch and Jenkins are certainly the chief reasons to see it.

July 28, 2004 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
It may seem like just another movie about a boy and his father and the chicken that comes between them, but there's a heart-touching story underneath all the feathers.

July 24, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
You can hardly fault the details, the resonant silences, the sudden gushers of pent-up feeling.

July 2, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4

David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

View All Critic Reviews (26)

Audience Reviews for The Mudge Boy

Sep 09, 2011

This was very disturbing, but I liked it. Emile Hirsch was great as always!

Sarah P Super Reviewer
May 20, 2007

A film quite unlike anything I've seen before, The Mudge Boy deserves a larger audience then it is ever likely to get, thanks to its peculiar title, cheap, 70s looking cover art and "funded by cable" credentials. But it's a stunning film. Duncan (Emile Hirsch) is a teenager trying to come to terms with the unexpected death of his mother. An outsider who doesn't have the self-awareness to express himself adequately and without any support in friends or his emotionally unavailable father, Duncan, who helps out on the farm he lives on, cycles the countryside with his favorite chicken and begins to form relationships with some of the people he meets. Psychologically rich and complex, realistic, beautifully photographed and stunningly performed (Emile Hirsch, Richard Jenkins and Tom Guiry are all superb), The Mudge Boy builds to a devastating conclusion that is truly shocking and difficult to watch; a brilliant depiction of teenage life, sexuality and grief in all its forms. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, winner of the Grand Jury Award at L.A. Outfest.

Daniel P Super Reviewer