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Get Low (film)

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Get Low
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAaron Schneider
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Chris Provenzano
  • Scott Seeke
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDavid Boyd
Edited byAaron Schneider
Music byJan A. P. Kaczmarek
Production
companies
  • K5 International
  • Zanuck Independent
  • David Gundlach Productions
  • Lara Enterprises
  • TVN
  • Butcher's Run Films
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • September 12, 2009 (2009-09-12) (TIFF)
  • July 30, 2010 (2010-07-30) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million
Box office$9.7 million

Get Low is a 2009 drama film about a Tennessee hermit in the 1930s who throws his own funeral party while still alive. It was directed by Aaron Schneider, written by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell, and starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney, Bill Cobbs, Arin Logan, Lori Beth Edgeman, Andrea Powell, Rebecca Grant, Scott Cooper and Chandler Riggs. The motion picture was filmed entirely on location in Georgia, and support for the production was provided by the Georgia Department of Economic Development.[1]

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. For his performance, Robert Duvall was awarded the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Actor in October 2010. The film was released on July 30, 2010, in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, and earned the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for Schneider.

Plot

No one really knows Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), who lives as a hermit deep in the woods. Rumors surround him, such as how he might have killed in cold blood, and that he's in league with the devil. So the town is surprised when Felix shows up in town with a fat wad of cash, requesting a "funeral party" at Reverend Gus Horton's church for himself. Rev. Horton declines this proposal. Frank Quinn (Bill Murray), the owner of the local funeral parlor in financial trouble, coveting Bush's wad of cash, agrees to advertise a funeral party at which the townsfolk will be invited to tell Felix Bush the stories they've heard about him. To ensure a good turnout, a lottery is organized, with Bush's property as the prize. Many people buy tickets.

Things get more complicated when an old mystery is remembered, involving a local widow named Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), who was Bush's girlfriend in their youth, and her deceased sister, Mary Lee Stroup (Arin Logan[2]). With the help of a preacher who insists on Bush telling Mattie the truth, Bush tells those gathered at his funeral party (including Mattie) what happened forty years earlier. He reveals his affair with Mattie's married sister, Mary Lee. He confesses to Mattie that it was Mary Lee who was his true love, his only love. They made plans to run away together, and when she didn't arrive at the agreed place, he went to her home to search for her. He discovered that her husband had attacked her with a hammer, knocking her out. The husband threw a kerosene lamp against a wall to set the house on fire and kill himself, the unconscious Mary Lee, and Bush. Bush freed himself from the attacking husband, but as his clothes caught fire, he also saw Mary Lee catch fire. As he went to put the fire out, he felt himself flying through the window, possibly pushed by the husband, and he was unable to re-enter the house to save Mary Lee.

Mattie returns, seeming to forgive Bush. He sees what appears to be the ghost of Mary Lee down the lane. He dies shortly after his funeral party. His actual funeral service is held on a burial plot on his property. Charlie officiates the ceremony, with Reverend Gus Horton, Buddy, his wife and child, Mattie and Frank in attendance. After a short benediction from Charlie, Mattie places a portrait of her sister, Mary Lee on Felix's casket, signifying her forgiveness of his past actions and allowing them to be together, even if only figuratively. The mourners leave Felix's property as his grave is filled.

Cast

Production

The film is loosely based on a true story that happened in Roane County, Tennessee, in 1938. Duvall's character, Felix Bush, was based on a real person named Felix Bushaloo "Uncle Bush" Breazeale. [3][4]

Critical response

The film had positive reviews, with an 84% "fresh" rating on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 141 reviews.[5] Robert Duvall had overwhelming praise from critics with John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal who predicted an Oscar nomination, writing, "...Mr. Duvall, who's probably looking at another Oscar nomination next year, gives it a heart."[6] A "New York Times" review by A. O. Scott highlights Robert Duvall's superb performance.[7]

Casey Burchby at DVD Talk noted that Get Low contains "a wonderful group of performances by a dream cast. Surprisingly, none of the leads were in the running for any of 2010's major awards."[8]

Box office

The film opened to four cinemas on July 30, 2010, taking in a weekend gross of $90,900, averaging $22,725 per cinema. This placed the film at twenty-third overall for the weekend of July 30 to August 1, 2010.[9] As of January 2011, the film had grossed $9,100,230 in North America and $401,361 in other territories, totaling $9,513,225 worldwide.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Get Low: A Sony Pictures Classics Release". "Get Low" Official Website. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Arin Logan - Actress". "Get Low" Official IMDB Website. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  3. ^ Morrow, Terry (August 22, 2010). "New film Get Low based on pre-death funeral of Roane man in 1938". Knoxville.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Breazeale, Mike. ""On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand": The Extraordinary Last Rites of Felix Bushaloo Breazeale".
  5. ^ "Get Low (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Anderson, John (July 30, 2010). "Get Low Rides High on Great Acting". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  7. ^ Scott, A.O. (July 29, 2010). "How Can You Enjoy Your Own Funeral? For Starters, Don't Die". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Get Low : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
  9. ^ a b "Get Low (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
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