New Review: Get Low

Life at a Funeral

Whenever someone brings up this film in conversation, there seems to be nothing but praise for one particular performance. That's a promising notion to get somebody to see a film, but I'm always cautious of that. Time and time again, I ask myself whether or not a single good performance in a film can make up for all the shortcomings that engulf nearly all other elements. Most of the time, it doesn't happen; a film needs more than one good element in order to be successful. Fortunately, this film has some more to offer than just one good performance, even though that performance is pretty good on its own terms.

Inspired by an actual event, the film centers on a reclusive hermit, played masterfully by Robert Duvall, who has isolated himself from the rest of the world because of a tragedy in his past that has festered in time. Now, he gets in mind to plan his own funeral, while he is still alive. He hires the staff at the local, struggling funeral home headed by the droll Bill Murray. Sissy Spaceck shows up later as a friend from the old days that exposes more light into this man's checkered past.

Robert Duvall has well established himself as one of the greatest living actors. Still, like many great actors that have already proven themselves, its often easy to go into autopilot and sleepwalk through roles. Even though Duvall's patented Southern drawl is in full force here, it's still a great performance, one of his best in a long time. It never feels overdone, and Duvall puts on the right amount of cynicism, humor and tenderness to make each moment feel genuine. He's tracking territory mined before, to be sure, but sometimes it's the singer, not the song, and he brings enough charm for all to continue to be wowed. It's been a while since Duvall has had a nice leading role to showcase his earnest talent, and this is proof that he needs to have many more occasions to show off his uncanny ability to create an endearing character.

Among the supporting players, Bill Murray shines the brightest by giving the most offbeat humor of the film. You probably aren't going to be blown away by his performance, and if anything you might wish his subdued persona could have been amplified a bit more for a character with such flamboyant potential, but you are more than likely going to enjoy his quick comedic whips and often times genuine portrayal of a businessman with a heart of gold. Lucas Black shows up as an employee of the funeral home, and next to Duvall probably has the greatest amount of depth. Black doesn't overplay his role either, and the glimpses of complexity within the performance give way to thinking this character is more interesting than perhaps actually written. Spaceck, I think, does sleepwalk a bit through this movie, but when the scene requires for something specifically, she delivers in just the amount to not be amazed but to still feel right for the moment.

This is director Aaron Schneider's first feature film, and he comes from a cinematographer's background. Usually, people who start in the visual artistry of filmmaking and move into directing concentrate heavily on the stylish flare while leaving the actors and story to fend for themselves. Schneider does fall into this trap at times and does let the pace become often dull at many points in the film. Still, his eye as a director is not unskilled (he won an Oscar for his short film Two Soldiers) and even though his style can't always mask a thin and predictable script, I do think he has talent to balance intimate moments of emotional reveal with the more vibrant visuals he has the expertise to indulge in.

I don't think this is a flawless film, and its rough pace and quasi-uninteresting story place far away from any best film list, but many qualities of the film do make it an enjoyable one to watch. Mainly, it's Duvall giving a bravado performance that showcases once again why he's so revered and praised as an actor, while his co-stars give more personality to help the directions both pros and cons. I guess the search continues for a film that I like because of one performance. But at this point, that's about as likely as Duvall giving a performance that does not include a Southern accent.

B