Get Low – A Sony Pictures Classics’ Release

http://www.sonyclassics.com/getlow/

DVD Release Date: February 22nd, 2010

Rated PG for coarse language

Running time: 103 minutes

 

Aaron Schneider (dir.)

 

Chris Provenzano (screenplay)

C. Gaby Mitchell (screenplay)

Chris Provenzano (story)

Scott Seeke (story)

 

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (music)

 

Robert Duvall as Felix Bush

Sissy Spacek as Mattie Darrow

Bill Murray as Frank Quinn

Lucas Black as Buddy

 

Our reviews below:

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Get Low DVD Review By John C.

***1/2 (out of 4)

For over 40 years, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) has been living as a hermit deep in the woods.  When he finally ventures out of his secluded home, it’s to seek the help of local funeral home director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) in planning his own “living funeral.”  The idea is to have a party of sorts, where people can share stories about him, and more importantly so that the locals can find out the truth about his troubled past.

 

Robert Duvall is understated and excellent in the lead role, and Bill Murray adds many welcome scenes of sarcastic dark humour.  Told with a surprising amount of humour and heartache, the story unfolds almost as a mystery as the secrets are slowly revealed.  As it reaches a surprisingly moving conclusion, Get Low is ultimately a haunting film about one man’s search for the redemption and forgiveness he needs before he is able to die.

 

The Blu-ray includes several featurettes, a Q&A with the cast and crew, as well as a commentary track with co-stars Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek, producer Dean Zanuck and director Aaron Schneider.

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Get Low DVD Review By Erin V.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is a hermit who has lived in the woods for 40 years.  Stories surround him and those in town fear him and what he may be capable of.

 

One day, he unexpectedly rides into town with a wad of cash, asking to arrange a funeral for himself – while he is still alive.  He wants everyone with a story to tell about him to attend, and has a secret of his own that he wants to finally tell.  Local funeral home director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) sees this as an opportunity to make some money and with the help of his gentlemanly sales rep Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black) they get Bush to agree to let them set things up for him.

 

Wrapped around the strange premise for a funeral for someone still living, Get Low is a quiet dramady.  With solid performances and a well told story, we are kept interested throughout, from the mysterious opening scene to the reveal at the end.

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Get Low DVD Review By Nicole

*** (out of 4)

Get Low is a quirky comedic drama about an eccentric old man and his effort to clear up any rumours about himself.  Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) has been living as a hermit for the past 40 years.  Nobody knows why he lives this way, and so stories about him have been cropping up everywhere.  Felix, getting on in years, decides to invite anyone with a story to tell about him to a “living funeral” – a party where he can tell everyone what really happened 40 years prior.  Felix enlists funeral parlour directors Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black) to get the party in motion.

 

Get Low is both funny and heartfelt.  The acting is good, as is the story.  The dialogue is well written and accurate to the 1930’s Tennessee setting of the film.  Everything is beautifully shot, capturing the essence of the backwoods.  The music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek is really nice and fits the mood perfectly.  This is an interesting and aesthetically pleasing film that is worth seeing.

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Get Low DVD Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

Set in the backwoods of Tennessee in the 1930’s, Get Low tells the story of an eccentric hermit, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) who is feared by the local townspeople yet he wants to invite them all to his living funeral.

 

The movie opens with a shot of a burning house and a figure covered in flames running off.  The story then shifts to an old man with scraggly hair and a beard who lives in an isolated cabin with just his shotgun and a mule named Gracie to keep him company.  The old man, Felix, goes into town to discuss with a preacher the idea of having his own funeral while he is still alive and able to hear what the locals are saying about him.  When funeral home assistant Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black) overhears the request, he informs his boss, the sleazy funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray).  Frank jumps at the opportunity to help Felix fulfill his odd request and spend some of the “hermit cash” that he carries around.

 

While the underlying premise of Get Low is dramatic, this is a surprisingly touching and often funny movie.  Both Robert Duvall and Bill Murray give wonderful performances as their quirky characters.  The cinematography is really nice and the Bluegrass music matches the mood perfectly.  When the story wraps up we’re satisfied with its natural conclusion.

 

Seeing Duvall and Murray play off each other makes Get Low worth seeing.  It’s an interesting and quirky tale.

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Get Low DVD Review By Tony

***1/2 (out of 4)

Get Low opens with a house on fire. Some forty years later in mid 1930s Tennessee, we meet the old bearded hermit Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) requesting a living funeral from the undertakers, the former huckster from away Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and his local assistant Buddy (Lucas Black). The subject of dark legends for generations, Bush wants everyone to come and tell to his face what they think about him. Despite his gruff exterior, we become increasingly sympathetic to his wish for reconciliation from old acquaintances Mattie (Sissy Spacek) and Reverend Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs), though his past sins remain a mystery for us almost to the end.

Despite the deep dark secret in the background, Get Low never takes itself too seriously as it is full of humorous touches, particularly from Bill Murray, and is really touching in the end. The main characters are beautifully played, having great dialogue to work with. The musical score greatly adds to the atmosphere, sometimes over silent footage. Mainly recorded in Poland under composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, it uses mainly piano and strings, often in a sort of bluegrass style.  Overall, Get Low is a delightful film, highly recommended.

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Consensus: With excellent performances from Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, Get Low is a funny and surprisingly moving comedic drama about one man’s unique search for redemption and forgiveness. ***1/4 (Out of 4)