Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black
Synopsis: For the past forty years, Felix Bush has lived as a hermit deep in the Tennessee woods, until one day he stalks into town, walks into the local funeral parlour, and announces that he needs a funeral -- more importantly, a funeral party that will draw all his friends and enemies to his shack in the woods for a final reckoning. "A classic American tale from a bygone era that unfolds with quiet majesty, rich cinematography and one of Duvall's best-ever performances."--Toronto Eye Weekly
Running Time: 100 Minutes (plus 8-10 minutes of trailers)
Great counterprogramming to the summer popcorn blockbuster
By Pam Grady
Reclusive Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is an object of fascination and wild rumors in his small, Depression era Southern town, a hermit suspected of extravagantly evil deeds. In director Aaron Schneider's funny, touching debut Get Low, as Bush nears the end of his life, his decision to set the record straight with a "living funeral," roils the town and old ghosts even as it forces him out of his self-imposed isolation. A deft blend of drama, comedy, mystery, and a touch of romance, this self-financed indie that received the benediction of the Sundance Film Festival as one of its "Premieres" selections will appeal strongly to a mature audience drawn to robust characters, dry wit, and great performances. Sony Classics' strategy to release the film in summer as counter-programming to the season's popcorn blockbusters should pay handsome dividends at the box office.
A bad night inspires Bush to Get Low and account for his life and the event that sent him into exile in the woods. The way he plans to do that is with a kind of living wake where all are invited to share their stories of the old man with the wild hair and beard and fearsome reputation. With a dearth of actual death in the area, undertaker Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) welcomes the business, but leaves the details to his young, far more sincere associate, Buddy (Lucas Black). Bush's errand in town also brings him face to face with the widow Maddie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), a woman from his past who might be the only person in town able to separate Bush's life from his legend.
Screenwriters Chris Provenzano (TV’s Mad Men) and C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) take their inspiration for their story from the life of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, who really did hold a living funeral in 1938 and like the Bush of this tale, did sell lottery tickets with his land as the prize as an incentive to get people to attend. From those bare bones, the writers have fashioned a complex, character-driven yarn in which the truth of Bush's life and just what it is he has been running from is gradually revealed, and in which a man who has been alone for so long suddenly finds himself drawn back into human company.
Get Low builds to a moving climax, but it is never maudlin as the comic elements serve to keep the movie buoyant. It is also an actor's clinic. The entire ensemble is strong with Murray and Black especially impressive in their support of Duvall. The drama is a little slow, but that is not necessarily a negative as Schneider captures the relaxed rhythms of small-town life. This is not a big film, but is one with a very big heart.
Copyright 2010 Box Office Magazine
Refreshingly Low Key with Knockout Performances
R E V I E W B Y R I C H C L I N E
Get Low Not only is this film elegantly shot, with a gorgeous sense both of internal textures and wide-open spaces, but it also features knockout performances from an especially fine cast while exploring serious issues from a refreshingly low-key perspective.
After the death of a friend, mysterious hermit Felix Bush (Duvall) decides it's time to get low, put his affairs in order. So he hires the local undertakers (Murray and Black) to throw a funeral party before he dies. While this will help him clear the air, it also undermines the dangerous reputation that's guaranteed his privacy for so long. It also means confronting a dear old friend Mattie (Spacek) about a dark event from their past. And more importantly, making peace with himself.
Director Schneider beautifully captures the quiet rhythms of this isolated town, where everyone knows each others' business and reputations are made or lost by a casual whisper. Duvall brings to Felix a haunted quality that goes far beneath the surface; we know he's not a bad guy even though everyone, including Felix himself, thinks he is. His interaction with Murray's hilarious opportunist is packed with sharp wit. And Spacek brings her usual luminosity along with some potent dramatic weight.
Through it all, Black is our surrogate, a likeably naive young man through whose eyes we experience the events. Cinematographer David Boyd gorgeously captures the textures--woodgrain, shafts of sunlight, crinkled skin. And the dialog, while subdued and sometimes oblique, is packed with tension and humour. Felix likes his reputation as a "crazy old nutter", and looks forward to finally putting his soul back in order.
As a tale of personal redemption, films don't get much more moving than this. Watching Felix come slowly back to life, including his sweet/tetchy interaction with Mattie, is a pure cinematic delight. We can vividly feel his struggle; we know what its like to have things we can't or won't talk about, and sometimes it's hard to know the difference since good and bad are generally all tangled up together. This isn't a film for audiences that like action or high energy, but it's a real thing of beauty.
