They don’t make ’em like this very often, and they really should. “Get Low,” takes a true story and uses it to spin a charming, loose and laid back tale about redemption and regret that is surprisingly warmhearted, fresh and funny.
The film follows Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) an elderly recluse and local legend who is said to have committed all kinds of terrible, unspeakable things. Anytime he ventures into town he is greeted with stares and even outright hostility, the stories having turned him into a living boogeyman. But, Bush decides to emerge from his self-exile following the death of a former friend and, determined not to die anonymously, set the record straight on his eccentric life. So he plans a living funeral, to be attended by everyone who has a story about him to tell. But to sweeten the pot and encourage as many people as possible to attend, he decides to also turn the event into a lottery: for $5, people can enter their name into a draw with the grand prize being Bush’s massive tract of line which they will take over once he passes on.
Tasked with organizing this massive affair is the smooth-talking, booze drinking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). Along with his apprentice Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black), the duo clean up the grizzly looking Bush, get posters up around town and begin promoting the biggest and strangest event that Tennessee has ever seen. But as the event begins to pull together and come closer to kicking off, Bush begins to realize that he is going to have to face truths and events that have long been buried. The biggest one involves Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), who once had a relationship with Bush and sees a softer side of him that others rarely witness. But there is also a darker secret looming that is yet to emerge.
Even though the premise is intriguing, the script by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell does succumb to the sort of set up and structure that now seems standard for these kinds of dramas: the main goal is threatened, characters need to overcome minor issues and a couple wacky situations involving the oddball Bush emerge. But the film is elevated by some veteran actors who instead of chewing scenery or playing up the more theatrical aspects of their characters instead quietly settle into their roles. Finding the nuances and shades in their parts, Duvall, Murray and Spacek (gosh, we kind of forgot how great she can be) bring the story to life. Duvall taps into the vulnerability lying within Bush as he gets his affairs in order. Murray isn’t just a flask swilling swindler, but a huckster with his own slightly warped code of honor while Spacek navigates the changes her character faces over the course of the movie with subtly and softly rather than pitching it to the balcony.
Marking the feature debut of Aaron Schneider (who took home an Academy Award for his short film “Two Soldiers”), he directs here with a sure and unobtrusive hand. He knows his greatest asset lies in his cast and he’s wise to let them quietly push the film forward. “Get Low” is an example of a “formula” film done right. The story isn’t brain science and the beats are familiar, but given to the right cast, and allowed to play out organically, its simple pleasures are a joy to experience. [B+]