Get Low

Despite the name, “Get Low” proves to be a film that deserves high praise due to phenomenal acting and characters, with a thoughtful and humorous script.

Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is no ordinary man, for the past forty years he’s been living alone in the woods, shooting at anyone who trespasses. He wants a funeral, but no ordinary funeral. He wants a funeral party where people come to tell stories about him, and he wants to be there, alive.

Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) needs customers for his dying funeral home. So when Felix arrives with his absurd request and big wad of cash, Frank is ready to canter to anything and everything Felix wants, despite protests from his assistant Buddy (Lucas Black). As the day for the funeral party comes closer, Buddy realizes there is a bigger reason to Felix’s party, which includes Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), the only person who really knew Felix.

“Get Low” would fail terribly if the actors in the film could not believably portray the emotion needed to gain the audience’s attention; fortunately, “Get Low” possesses the perfect cast. All the actors play their roles to perfection which makes viewers feel that they are watching real events unfold before their eyes, not just actors performing on the big screen.

Felix is a cantankerous, aloof, old man that is not one to mess with. He is very direct and tells it like it is. However, Felix is also a man haunted by his mysterious past and shame. Duvall portrays all these traits with realism and high emotion (perhaps Oscar worthy?). He also captures the likeable spark to the character of Felix, which causes the audiences to sympathize with him.

Frank is a business man, and his business is failing and he cannot understand why, since everyone in world needs what he is selling. When Felix shows up, all Frank cares about is closing a business deal. Although, his character possesses a few struggles of his own, Murray portrays the slick salesman with humor and intelligence.

Buddy proves to be one of the more sincere characters in “Get Low”. When people start making a big hype about Felix’s funeral, he thinks that a person’s death should not be a carnival. However, he begins to respect Felix’s decision, even though he doesn’t understand it. He is the first character that starts to see that there is another purpose to Felix’s party and tries to figure out what that is. There is an interesting aspect between Felix and Buddy considering that the personalities of the characters are nearly opposites, but old man Felix truly admires the younger Buddy for his virtuous attributes. Black provides a compelling performance as a genuine salesman, not trying to make a deal, but trying to simply provide what his customer wants.

Mattie provides the most intriguing character as audiences try to figure out the link between her and Felix. Mattie is a pleasant, friendly and dislikes it when people talk negatively about Felix. However, despite all her positive aspects, she too possesses hidden pains from her past. Spacek delivers all these qualities, the pleasant, the sad and the angry, with authenticity. She also manages to act it out with the perfect balance of emotion.

“Get Low” is set in the 1930’s, the set decoration (Geoffrey Kirkland) and costumes (Julie Weiss) add a lot to the period of the film. The sets also contrast well, from the more modern looking homes in the city, to the rustic look of Felix’s home. Same with the costumes, the contrast from Felix’s hermit clothes and beard to his new “funeral party” look also adds humor to the film.

The score (Jan A. P. Kaczmarek) add a dramatic element and further adds to the emotion of “Get Low”. The score also gives musical themes to places, Felix’s home contains a country sound with twangy guitars and fiddles, and the city receives a 1930’s jazz sound. In some scenes in the film, the sound is muted and all the viewers hear is the score playing on as events unfold; this causes the audience to emotionally connect with the characters, which is what a score is supposed to do.

The film’s cinematography (David Boyd) provides creative camera angles and close-ups on the actors in emotionally-driven scenes, the camera leaves nothing out. The lighting in the film is well-done also; in many scenes there is only a lamp, fire or flashlight providing light, which adds a mysterious and obscure element.

“Get Low” proves to be a drama, but the script (Chris Provenzano, Aaron Schneider, Charlie Mitchell, Scott Seeke, Chris Provenzano) provides a lot of comic relief, mostly with the behavior of Felix and the reaction of Frank. However, this film is driven by the emotions of the characters. This is what drives the action and the characters and gives the plot a smooth pace, keeping audience’s attention. The film also provides a well-developed story that delves into the life of Felix and those affected by him.

“Get Low” contains a lot of heavy themes; including characters need to receive forgiveness and the need to give forgiveness. In addition, the film speaks of dealing with regrets from the past that cause shame and, that before one can “get low”, one needs to get it right with others. These issues provide a lot for characters and the audience, so a box of Kleenex might come in handy.

“Get Low” gives viewers an entertaining and touching story, characters and most of all, performance by actors. Even if one does not normally enjoy dramas, “Get Low” is not a film to miss. It proves to be a film that will cause all who leave to theater to be glad they went.