Through The Rear Window: MOVIE REVIEW ... GET LOW

Sunday, May 29, 2011

MOVIE REVIEW ... GET LOW

There’s nothing better than watching a group of fantastic actors having a grand time essaying their craft. When they are of the calibre of Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, this pleasure is increased as one knows they are always great value. Get Low certainly benefits from their presence with its quirky tale of redemption and opportunism made more enjoyable by their beguiling performances.

Old Felix (Robert Duvall) is a feared hermit living in the woods. Everyone in the local village fears him due to an unseemly episode decades earlier where a couple were killed. When he walks into town, their curiosity is piqued when he demands a living funeral. Sensing he could make money out of the wealthy old-timer, funeral director Frank (Bill Murray) and assistant Buddy (Lucas Black) arrange a spectacular wake. When Mattie (Sissy Spacek) enters the scene old secrets surface which sees Felix’s eccentric ways spiral out of control.

Mixing drama with acerbic comedy, Director Aaron Schneider does a good job in handling both. He infuses Get Low with an overall sense of tortured anxiety with Felix desperately wanting forgiveness for past misdemeanours. His reputation precedes him with hearsay and outright lies building upon his mystique. What transpires is someone using others to release himself from a self-imposed exile with Frank’s unscrupulous ways a perfect avenue for Felix to use this to his advantage.

Get Low is very much a character driven piece with the humour flowing gently amongst some heavy drama. A skill not many movies can perfect, its screenplay deftly teases out the emotions ensuring the authentic feel it aims for remains. The finely pitched performances enable these qualities to surface with the actors given ample opportunity to play to their strengths in well written roles.

Whilst perhaps somewhat slow in places, Get Low always engages due to its good story. The cast should be proud of their efforts bringing the story to life with their own extraordinary thespian talents.