Get Low
By Megan Carroll
Get Low brings together Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, and the fact that these three heavy-hitting actors are present means the odds are in favor of an excellent movie experience. No one will be disappointed.
On top of a phenomenal cast, you have a slow creeping story that definitely keeps your interest. Set in 1930s Tennessee, Get Low is a wonderfully constructed fable about a hermit, Felix Bush (Duvall), who has become a town legend based on his anti-social habits, overall growly nature and quick temper. What makes him even more of a mystery to the townspeople is that when he arrived in town, he requested a funeral for himself; and yet he’s still alive.
Enter the always-brilliant Bill Murray, who plays Frank Quinn. Quinn runs the almost-bankrupt town funeral home and at first balks at Felix’s idea, but soon changes his tone when a fat wad of cash hits his desk.
The town is just as hesitant and unsure about this unusual plan. Does he just want to figure out a way to get everyone in the same place so he can exact his revenge? Even an old friend, Mattie Darrow (Spacek), isn’t really sure why he is doing this.
As the film unfolds we slowly find out that Felix is haunted by something and this funeral will give him a chance at redemption and maybe even forgiveness. Just as the reasons for the funerary function unfold, we learn that Felix isn’t angry and unstable. Behind that tattered beard is a man who is angry at no one more than he’s angry at himself. When this film sheds its mystery and allows you in, it is utterly heart breaking to hear the true story of one man’s guilt and how it predetermined his life. No one can ever be as cruel to you as you can be to yourself.
Get Low has moments of slow deliberateness, and the dialogue is sparse at times, but this film has a subtle message, a silent wisdom that is bundled into a story of one man’s mystery, love, regret, repentance and finally forgiveness. Get Low is a story that makes you feel somehow special, like you know something no one else does. You feel better knowing you saw this film and that you witnessed a great story and superior acting by some of Hollywood’s greatest. Get Low must not be missed.
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