GET LOW

    SUMMARY

                A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DAVE G'S GET LOW REVIEW:

Sometimes in the movie world a ‘sleeper’ comes along. A film that arrives with very little fanfare that is a masterpiece when you finally get to see it. Get Low is one of those films, an absolute gem that no film-lover should miss… it is one of the finest movies to surface over the last couple of years.

True Grit is loosely based on a true story. An aging hermit, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall – Crazy Heart, The Road) decides to come out of hiding and wants to know what stories the nearby town has been telling about him over the years. He decides to do that by having a ‘funeral’ but after getting local undertaker, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray – Passion Play, Fantastic Mr. Fox) and his younger associate, Buddy (Lucas Black – Legion, The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift) involved the funeral becomes bigger and bigger and is soon one of the social events of the year. However, at the heart of the story Felix wants forgiveness especially from Mattie (Sissy Spacek – Gimme Shelter, TV’S Big Love).

Director, Aaron Schneider (TV’S Popular) must have thought he was handed an early Christmas present when as a first-time feature film director he was handed the script of Get Low. The film is the kind of movie that the Coen Brothers should be making, it is witty, dramatic and has the ability to winning over people of all ages. The story is so captivating that you find yourself wanting to know what Felix did all those years ago to make him think he deserves forgiveness… and to Schneider’s credit he makes sure that the teases the audience but never fully gives away what has happened… now that is something that a lot of so-called mysteries forget to do these days.

Another thing that makes Get Low a must see are the performances of Robert Duvall and Bill Murray. The fact that Duvall didn’t win an Oscar for Get Low is proof that the whole Academy Award voting system is flawed, his performance is faultless and is one I will remember for a long time to come. He is well supported by Bill Murray who once again puts in a fine dramatic performance (with just a hint of comedy). Murray is one of those actors that you forget how good he is until you see him in a performance like this. The other bright spark is Lucas Black who shows that he has a lot more ability to what he showed in Tokyo Drift. He really is a young actor with a big future ahead of him.

RATING:- ***** (out of 5)

HOME     BACK TO ALL FILMS     BACK TO 'DRAMA' FILMS