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FILM REVIEW: Terrific performances in "Get Low"
Robert Duvall and Bill Murray deliver terrific performances in the 1930s era drama "Get Low."
Who is Felix “Bush” Breazeale? It depends on who you ask in rural Roane County, Tennessee because everyone will have a different answer. With a talented cast led by Robert Duvall, Get Low is a rewarding film that will also leave you wondering who Felix is all the way up to its gripping conclusion.
Loosely based on events in 1938, Get Low seizes your attention with a shot of a two-story house engulfed in flames. A man on fire jumps out and runs off into the night. Suddenly we hear the sound of breaking glass when a boy throws a rock at an isolated cabin in the woods. With loaded rifle in hand we see Felix (Duvall) for the first time, looking like an aged Confederate general as he steps out into the light to chase off the boy.
For decades, everyone in town has told wild stories about Felix, including ones painting him as a cold-blooded murderer. When he decides his time on earth is almost up he approaches the genial Rev. Gus Horton (Gerald McRaney, TV’s Jericho) with a wad of cash and a request to eulogize a living funeral where everyone in a four-county area can come share their stories at his living funeral.
The reverend turns him down so Felix leaves but not without catching the eye of Buddy (Lucas Black, Friday Night Lights), a young funeral home employee who’s eager to earn business for his fast-talking boss, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). Although they get everything organized, Felix balks at the idea of confronting the secret behind his 40-year isolation. It’s something a widow, Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek) desperately wants to know and an Illinois preacher, Rev. Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs, Night at the Museum) who refuses to tell.
Directed by Aaron Schneider, who helmed the Academy Award-winning short Two Soldiers, Get Low keeps you engaged from start to finish. The pacing is excellent and there’s an ever-present sense of tension in the air. There is a cemetery scene which feels clichéd but those are tough to do without becoming awkward.
Duvall delivers a typical Duvall performance – professional, emotional, and engaging. A confrontational scene he shares with Cobbs and his acting during the film’s climax is beyond comparison. His brilliance is also found in the way he shares a scene. He could have easily overshadowed the 28-year-old Black but gives him the space to flesh out his own character, which he does to an acceptable extent.
Murray is brilliant as a man who on the surface appears simply to be a sleazy, conniving, money-hungry funeral home director. While some of it is true, Frank is also a man with a painful past who is more good than bad. Additionally, Murray’s remarkable deadpan delivery generates a few laughs throughout the film.
Overall, Get Low is a worthwhile cinematic experience.
On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, Get Low receives a B+.
Get Low is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 102 minutes.
Now showing through September 2 @
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Who is Felix “Bush” Breazeale? It depends on who you ask in rural Roane County, Tennessee because everyone will have a different answer. With a talented cast led by Robert Duvall, Get Low is a rewarding film that will also leave you wondering who Felix is all the way up to its gripping conclusion.
Loosely based on events in 1938, Get Low seizes your attention with a shot of a two-story house engulfed in flames. A man on fire jumps out and runs off into the night. Suddenly we hear the sound of breaking glass when a boy throws a rock at an isolated cabin in the woods. With loaded rifle in hand we see Felix (Duvall) for the first time, looking like an aged Confederate general as he steps out into the light to chase off the boy.
For decades, everyone in town has told wild stories about Felix, including ones painting him as a cold-blooded murderer. When he decides his time on earth is almost up he approaches the genial Rev. Gus Horton (Gerald McRaney, TV’s Jericho) with a wad of cash and a request to eulogize a living funeral where everyone in a four-county area can come share their stories at his living funeral.
The reverend turns him down so Felix leaves but not without catching the eye of Buddy (Lucas Black, Friday Night Lights), a young funeral home employee who’s eager to earn business for his fast-talking boss, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). Although they get everything organized, Felix balks at the idea of confronting the secret behind his 40-year isolation. It’s something a widow, Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek) desperately wants to know and an Illinois preacher, Rev. Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs, Night at the Museum) who refuses to tell.
Directed by Aaron Schneider, who helmed the Academy Award-winning short Two Soldiers, Get Low keeps you engaged from start to finish. The pacing is excellent and there’s an ever-present sense of tension in the air. There is a cemetery scene which feels clichéd but those are tough to do without becoming awkward.
Duvall delivers a typical Duvall performance – professional, emotional, and engaging. A confrontational scene he shares with Cobbs and his acting during the film’s climax is beyond comparison. His brilliance is also found in the way he shares a scene. He could have easily overshadowed the 28-year-old Black but gives him the space to flesh out his own character, which he does to an acceptable extent.
Murray is brilliant as a man who on the surface appears simply to be a sleazy, conniving, money-hungry funeral home director. While some of it is true, Frank is also a man with a painful past who is more good than bad. Additionally, Murray’s remarkable deadpan delivery generates a few laughs throughout the film.
Overall, Get Low is a worthwhile cinematic experience.
On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, Get Low receives a B+.
Get Low is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 102 minutes.
Now showing through September 2 @
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Indie Film Editor
Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.
In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.
Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.
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