Sometimes you sit down in a cinema and even as the house lights are dimming and the darkness swallows you up you start to get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you’re about to see something lovingly crafted. There’s a small ball of warmth that spreads out to tingle every nerve you have, telling you that you’re going to enjoy something of sheer quality. I got that feeling as I awaited the start of Get Low but, as I have found in the past, that sensation isn’t always truthful.
Thankfully, this time it most certainly was. With a cast featuring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Bill Cobbs and Lucas Black (he may be the one most “wet behind the ears” but I like him) I expected things to be enjoyable and they most definitely were.
Inspired by an American folk tale, with it’s basis in some fact, this movie is all about grumpy recluse Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), a man who decides one day that he should arrange and attend his own funeral. He enlists the help of funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and his young assistant, played by Lucas Black, and once everyone accepts the fact that Felix doesn’t actually intend to be dead when his funeral occurs they set about making everything happen. Things don’t look too promising at first but when Felix offers the chance to win his plot of land to anyone who attends, buys a 5 dollar ticket and tells a story (good or bad) about him then it’s all go for those arranging the funeral. But Felix doesn’t just want everyone telling any story they feel like telling, there’s one particular story he hopes someone will tell because he has never been able to tell it himself.
The directorial debut of Aaron Schneider is a bit of a safe bet, really. The story is a great mix of comedy and drama without including anything that people could take offence to and, as already mentioned, the casting is almost flawless (Spacek is fantastic as an old flame and Bill Cobbs convincingly portrays equal parts pity, love and frustration for his friend) and there are many crowd-pleasing moments scripted throughout an easygoing, consistently entertaining story that you don’t ever want to rush to it’s conclusion but don’t let that detract from Schneider’s impressive talent. Every decision made seems to have been made with the intention of enhancing the story and the fact that there is no obvious directorial stamp all over the proceedings just shows how deft Scheider proves himself to be in the commanding role.
The script is dry and witty in places, warm and serious in others. It draws out details and establishes growing relationships in a way that never feels false or too “cinematic” despite the fact that the execution places everything just perfectly within the perimeter of the camera. The reveal of the main draw itself, the most important story that Felix needs people to hear, is not overly dramatic but just quietly affecting in how believable it is as an explanation for a man choosing to imprison himself for so many years.
There comes a time when you read over what you’ve written for a movie and realise that you’ve already said enough, or perhaps even too much. That’s the case here. Maybe others will think I have simply wittered on about nothing specific but I hope that I’ve alerted people to something that simply oozes quality and will give you that special feeling from beginning to end thanks to the warmth suffusing the scenes, even with such an initially cold central figure.
DIRECTOR: AARON SCHNEIDER
CAST: ROBERT DUVALL, BILL MURRAY, LUCAS BLACK, SISSY SPACEK, BILL COBBS
RUNNING TIME: 100 MINS APPROX
Film Rating: 
