(It's his funeral party - and he'll crash it if he wants to...)
CAST: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney, Bill Cobbs.
DIRECTOR: Aaron Schneider
NOTE: Some SPOILERS and surprisingly sensitive Bill Murray antics straight ahead...
A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I were at one of the local Seattle cineplexes, trying to pick out something to see. I glanced up at the marquee and, to my horror, realized that I'd pretty much seen everything that was up there. I guess that's the unfortunate side effect of running a movie review blog. Out of the dozen or so titles advertised, there were only three that I hadn't viewed: THE EXPENDABLES, GOING THE DISTANCE, and GET LOW.
So - we mulled over these choices, and came up with the following assessment: we'd rather eat donkey crap than watch THE EXPENDABLES. And we didn't see the point in watching Justin Long and Drew Barrymore ogle each other for two hours in GOING THE DISTANCE. So that left GET LOW, which stars Bill Murray - which is all that needs to be said. Truth is, thought, we probably would have still gone to see it over the other two even if Sir Bill wasn't in it.
GET LOW starts with a blaze - literally. A farmhouse is engulfed by flames in the middle of the night. Out of the inferno swoops a dark figure, partly on fire. After a few strange moments of the figure inexplicaby trying to rush back into the conflagration, it seems to realize that's about as sensible an undertaking as bankrolling a sequel to BACKDRAFT. Instead, the figure dashes into the darkness, bookin' it like Neve Campbell being chased by Ghost Face from SCREAM.
Cut to the present day. Well, present day for our story, that is. Which, I guess, would be sometime in the Prohibition-Era 30's. We find our reclusive hero, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), living in the middle of the woods. Turns out Felix is more than your garden-variety hermit, though. He's actually something of a legend in the nearby town. People talk about him like he's Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, combined. Only, well, a lot less hot. And a lot more cranky.
Like any interesting movie hero, Felix has issues. For starters, his only friend is his ass. Before some of you start wondering if GET LOW is a particularly strange form of gay porn, let me assure you that by "ass" I mean "donkey." Yes, folks. Felix's best bud is his loyal donkey. And on one somewhat stormy night, a bad nightmare (as opposed to a good nightmare) forces him to hide out in the barn with his, um, ass. Look, we covered this already. Try to be mature.
Somehow, this incident causes Felix to take all the money he's ever saved up (lumped into one gargantuan bundle), march into the local church, and demand a funeral party - while he's still alive. Naturally, Rev. Gus Horton (Gerald McRaney) reacts to this in the same he way he might if Felix had just invited him to booze it up at the nearest titty bar: basically, he just stares in disbelief. Felix sagely takes that as a "no" and leaves. As you can imagine, it takes the pastor about, oh, 3.5 seconds to spread that particular doozie of a story around town.
Soon, the tale of "crazy Felix wanting a funeral party while still breathing" reaches the ears of Frank Quinn (Sir Bill Murray), the local funeral parlor owner. Business hasn't been great lately, what with the locals refusing to die off or something, and short of Frank surreptitiously killing them off to generate business (Hey, that's a brilliant idea for a horror film!), something needs to happen fast. As you can imagine, Felix's wish is like Beethoven to Frank's ears after a year's worth of listening to the Alvin and Chipmunks' Christmas Album.
Being a crafty fucker, Frank contrives to send his young associate, Buddy (Lucas Black), into Crazy Felix territory and find out exactly what the old coot wants for his funeral party. Over a dinner of scrumptious rabbit stew (never thought I'd ever write that sentence), Felix tells Buddy that he'd like to invite everyone in the surrounding area who has a story to tell about him. Given that, on the notoriety-level, Felix is about equivalent to Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton today, let's just say that finding someone with a story to tell about him ain't gonna be a problem.
Frank, for his part, is more than happy to throw the party for Felix. As long as the old coot forks over all that balled-up cash, that is. Hell, if Felix asked Frank to personally give him a striptease/lapdance as part of the party, I'm pretty sure Frank wouldn't even think twice. Things get complicated, however, as the date of the party approaches. To wit: (1) Felix insists on the sermon being delivered by Reverend Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobb) who (2) has knowledge of a dark secret from Felix's past; (3) Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), on old friend who has always had a crush on Felix, reappears and begins to act on her interest in him; (4) someone tries to steal Felix's money from the coffers (actually, more like "coffins") of the funeral parlor; and (5) Felix himself begins to have second thoughts about the whole funeral party thang.
Will Felix call the whole thing off? And if he does, will it bankrupt Frank and Buddy, who have already incurred a shitload of expenses in prep work? But if Felix goes through with it, will Reverend Jackson deliver the sermon? And why is it so important that he be the one to do it? What secret knowledge of Felix's past does the reverend have? Is Mattie part of it? Or someone else close to her? What kind of stories will people tell about Felix at the party? For that matter, what stories does Felix have himself? What role does that fire from the opening play in the overall plot? And the most serious question of all: can I get plastic/dental surgery to mimic Lucas Black's smile? Because that's one sexy-ass grin, man.
Anyway, check out GET LOW yourselves. Just make sure that you're not expecting any car-chases, explosions, or nekkid babes running around on stiletto heels. It ain't that kind of movie. So ain't.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Like I wrote above, GET LOW is not the movie to see if you have a severe case of ADD. It is a very dark dramatic comedy that moves slowly and gets a bit somber in the third act. So if it's thrills, explosions, and quips that you want, do us all a favor and go see THE EXPENDABLES. GET LOW is not your cup of tea. It just might kill you.
However, for those who have attention spans that do not require large things blowing up every five minutes, GET LOW is a real find. It's full of terrific performances, droll humor (this is Sir Bill Murray, after all) and an emotionally-rewarding climax. As I was telling the friend that I went to see it with, GET LOW reminds me in a lot of ways of THE ENGLISH PATIENT. Yes, folks, you read that right: THE ENGLISH PATIENT.
On the surface, these two films seem very different. Look deeper, though, and you'll see that they tackle the same themes and use similar elements: (1) a protagonist haunted by a secret - and secret lover - from the past; (2) the protagonist's past reaching forward to affect those he encounters in the present; and (3) the secret - and the fate of the secret lover - being revealed at the end, tying up some very painful emotional loose-ends. In THE ENGLISH PATIENT, this was shown in flashbacks. In GET LOW, Felix himself narrates the story.
Just like THE ENGLISH PATIENT, GET LOW quietly celebrates the art of oral storytelling. Just as Count Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) revealed his past bit by bit to Nurse Hannah (Juliette Binoche), Felix offers tantalizing glimpses of the mystery to Frank and Buddy - but never letting them get close enough to solve it. And when he reveals everything during the funeral party's climactic storytelling, in front of hundreds of people, it's a raw and wrenching revelation.
This is isn't to say, though, that GET LOW is nothing but pathos and melancholy. It actually has quite a bit of humor in it. Of course, it's of the droll variety which may fly over the heads of those more accustomed to the more obvious forms of comedy. What's great about the humor in GET LOW is it's character-driven. No slapstick crap here, thank you. The movie leavens the eventual seriousness with lots of light moments in the earlier going. This more than makes up for when things turn a bit somber later on.
The performances are all excellent. Robert Duvall is simply magnificent as Felix Bush. As Mattie Darrow dreamily says about him early in the film, "Most people are just all there - all laid out for you to see. Felix was like a deep, dark cave that you could get lost in." This is a very accurate assessment of the character. Duvall deftly emphasizes Felix's complexity, and slowly reveals the character's hidden layers with expert timing and precision. Another apt description for the character would be that "still waters run deep." In the case of Felix, they possibly run as deep as an abyss, and you can understand why Mattie would love him - she senses the huge heart hidden within that cave. And the tender soul hidden in the depths.
As for the rest of the cast, Sir Bill Murray brings welcome humor with his portrayal of Frank Quinn. Sir Bill doesn't make the mistake of making Frank too quippy or sardonic, but plays him as a guy whose survival instinct has been sharpened by many past crises - and is just trying to stay afloat now with humor and charm. Watch for the scene when Frank pleads with Reverend Jackson to deliver the sermon in order to keep Felix from calling the party off - which would bankrupt Frank. I don't think I've ever seen Sir Bill be so vulnerable - even in LOST IN TRANSLATION.
The supporting cast is stellar. Sissy Spacek is a wonderful combo of girlish innocence and womanly resignation. As Mattie, her scenes with Robert Duvall as Felix crackle with "meant-to-be" emotional power. And when certain revelations are made later in the film, Spacek nails Mattie's terrified confusion and anger - and her eventual acceptance that life, and love, are what they are. In short, Spacek is simply amazing.
As Buddy, Frank's trusted # 2, Lucas Black combines "aw-shucks" charm with level-headed smarts and steely resolve. Buddy is one of those guys who are a lot smarter than they care to present themselves, often get under-estimated, but then surprise you by being your best allies in a battle. He certainly is an invaluable ally to Frank.
As for the rest of the supporting cast, Bill Cobbs and Gerald McRaney are good as the two reverends who exert (or try to, anyway) their influence on Felix and his plans for the funeral party. And as Kathryn, Buddy's loyal and no-nonsense wife, Lori Beth Edgeman hits all the right notes of feistiness and sensitivity.
Bottom line: just as with SECRETARIAT (Bonus Review # 1), I think GET LOW has a real shot at some Academy Award Nominations: Robert Duvall for Best Actor, Sissy Spacek for Best Supporting Actress, and - if the stars align - perhaps even Sir Bill as Best Supporting Actor.
Let's get those stars aligned, shall we?
