Review: GET LOW

GET LOW opens with a grizzled coot named Felix Bush firing his gun in the air while running a group of kids off his property. Robert Duvall, pushing 80, has been delivering this type of earthy character for decades now and could probably play Felix Bush in his sleep. Duvall has always been a compelling presence, whether performing in big-budget studio films or smaller independent films like GET LOW, a film that finds him at his best, but it’s a showcase performance adrift in a sincere but mediocre drama.

GET LOW is set in the early 1930′s in a small town that has heard rumors and gossip about Felix Bush for many years – that he’s an outlaw and a murderer. One day, Felix strolls into the office of the local undertaker, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and his young apprentice Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black), with the idea that they throw him a funeral party, one in which Felix himself will be present. His idea is that all of the locals will be invited to attend and that each will have an opportunity to tell a story about Felix to set the record straight about his life. For this service, Felix promises Quinn a greasy wad of cash and the promise that his land will be awarded by lottery at the “funeral”. As Felix prepares for his premature wake, two people from his past, a widow (Sissy Spacek) he once had a fling with, and a black minister (Bill Cobbs), turn up to reveal key secrets that help expose Felix’s true colors.

Now with this premise, loosely based on fact, and the presence of Bill Murray, I was expecting GET LOW to be some kind of folksy low-key comedy but first-time director Aaron Schneider plays it mostly straight, much to the film’s disadvantage. The plot is a tease. We’re constantly told something happened that changed Felix’s life, and we spend two long hours waiting for the big reveal, but when revelations are finally exposed, they’re far from devastating. There’s no pay-off, it’s an unsatisfying, slightly dull experience. Director Schneider is a former director of photography and it shows. The film looks great with its rustic, rural glow, but his story, which can only coast on southern whimsy for so long, lacks substance. It’s also worth pointing out Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s bluegrass score, which fits the film nicely. Bill Murray is appealing as a man bettered by his interactions with Felix but his role gets smaller as the film progresses (and, though it’s not his fault, his casting always feels gimmicky to me). Sissy Spacek is fine as Felix’s once-jilted sweetheart but the best thing about GET LOW is the towering, very physical performance by Duvall. His Felix is both likable and mysterious, a master manipulator who no one can get a bead on. Duvall does not have a lot of dialog, letting the other actors bounce off of his presence, but he dominates every scene. It’s just too bad this performance wasn’t delivered in a more compelling, less earnest film.

2 1/2 of 5 Stars

Opens today in St. Louis at the Frontenac