Get Low – Review

Everyone hears that story of a crazy old neighbor growing up. The neighbor who doesn’t mow his yard. No one ever sees them and they throw rocks at the neighbor’s window. In 1930′s Tennessee, that crazy old neighbor is Felix Bush.

Felix Bush, played by the fantastic Robert Duvall, is a hermit who is not looked highly upon by the people of in town. He lives in a home in the woods and kids love throwing rocks at his windows to get him going. He doesn’t visit town often, but when he does people whisper about him behind his back. Stories make the rounds about the kind of person he is, but no one knows the real Felix, except for a few people.

One day Rev. Gus Horton (Gerald McRaney) visits Bush to inform him of the passing of one of his friends. After he visits the grave, Bush decides to do something that has never been done before. He meets with the Reverend and asks him to give him a funeral, while he is still alive. Rev. Horton doesn’t like this idea because Bush hasn’t asked God for forgiveness for something that he had done. Buddy (Lucas Black), who works at the local funeral parlor, overhears this conversation and tells his boss, Frank Quinn, played by Bill Murray in an Oscar worthy performance. Quinn, Buddy and Bush have a sit down to discuss this party. Bush wants everyone who has a story about him, good or bad, to come to the party. The idea behind this is that everyone wants to know what people are going to say at your funeral, and Bush wants to go through with this. Quinn and a reluctant Buddy take up Bush’s offer and give him a make-over. Bush’s looks aren’t the only thing getting a make-over. The closer Buddy and Bush become, the more Bush’s attitude has a make-over as well. Along the lines we are introduced to Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), who at one time was in love with Felix.

The idea in the movie is an interesting one, and it could have just been a run of the mill coming of age movie about a grumpy old man. That is if it wasn’t for the amazing cast. Robert Duvall gives a performance that everyone should see. It’s a performance that you will hate yourself for missing. Bill Murray gives some great comedy to the movie, but it’s not too much and when he needs to be serious, he pulls it off perfectly. Lucas Black is wonderful, and should probably be looked at as a candidate for an Oscar as well. For the first movie that Duvall and Spacek have made together, their chemistry is wonderful, and you’d think that they have made many movies together.

The pace of the movie was fantastic. The movie is about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it doesn’t drag at all. Part of that is because Felix Bush’s story unravels bit by bit and as a viewer you want to know his story. By the time the party comes around, and you find out what Bush is hiding, there is not a dry eye in the audience.

The real shame of this movie is that SONY PIctures Classics decided to release this movie during the summer. Hopefully they re-release it in December to bring it back to people’s minds. If Duvall and Murray don’t get a nomination that in and of itself is a travesty. You can make a case for both Spacek and Quinn as well. It’s also a shame that here at Killer Film we can only give 5 stars, because if any movie deserves more, it’s this movie. That being said, and since I can only give up to 5 stars, this one gets all 5. Do yourself a favor and see this wonderful, moving, amazing movie today!

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