The Mudge Boy
| The Mudge Boy | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Burke |
| Produced by | Elizabeth W. Alexander Alison Benson Randy Ostrow |
| Screenplay by | Michael Burke |
| Based on |
Fishbelly White by Michael Burke |
| Starring |
Emile Hirsch Tom Guiry Richard Jenkins |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
| Cinematography | Vanja Cernjul |
| Edited by | Affonso Gonçalves |
| Distributed by | Showtime Networks |
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Release date
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Running time
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94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
| Box office | $62,852 |
The Mudge Boy is a 2003 American drama film produced by Showtime. It was directed by Michael Burke and based on his 1998 short film Fishbelly White, featured in the compilation Boys Life 5.
Shy, isolated, sexually confused farm boy Duncan Mudge's mother has recently died, leaving him under the supervision of his stern, depressed father Edgar. Duncan seems somehow to have transferred his love for the deceased mother to his favorite chicken, which he takes everywhere, even to bed. He has developed the odd habit of putting the chicken's head in his mouth—to calm the animal, he says. Duncan also likes to dress in his late mother's clothing, much to the distress of his bewildered father. The small, insular band of conformist teens that comprise adolescent social life in Duncan's world initially ostracize him, then allow him in to their circle only reluctantly, and largely for their own amusement. Duncan is beset with a profound sense of grief while trying to reconcile himself to a world in which he is a sexual alien. His crush on a local boy, Perry Foley, ends terribly in a violent altercation where Perry forces himself on Duncan.
On January 17, 2003, The Mudge Boy premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and in 2003 and 2004 it made the rounds at several gay and lesbian and independent film festivals around the United States. The region 1 DVD was released on May 9, 2006.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% out of 26 professional critics gave the film a positive review.Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times called it "odd and intense, very well acted, and impossible to dismiss." Lisa Rose from The Star-Ledger said about it that "It's not an easy film to watch, but it is a memorable one."
The Mudge Boy was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It won a Grand Jury Award LA Outfest.
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