Get Low

The plot is thus: A 1930’s Tennessee curmudgeon of a guy, Frank Bush (Duvall), wants to stage and attend his own funeral while he is still alive. He has lived as a hermit in a small cabin for over 40 years, and many people fear and dislike him. He wants to invite hundreds of people from all around to come and tell their stories about him. He also wants the opportunity to tell his side of the story and reveal the deep, dark secret that has kept him captive for so long. He contacts the local funeral director, Felix Quinn, played drolly (surprise, surprise) by Bill Murray, to assist him. Sissy Spacek’s character, Mattie Darrow, was once a love interest of Bush’s, but it was really Mattie’s sister that Frank longed for.

So there’s this dual-pronged plot: the living funeral and the deep dark secret. Much of the film hinges on developing suspense for the audience around what may or may not be revealed. Is it worth the wait? You decide.

The story is billed as one of regret, forgiveness, and redemption. Perhaps these themes will be felt by the viewer, but one obstacle for me was the lack of character development. There’s a rather flat character arc. Also, the slow paced unfolding of the story could create a short snoozefest, as it did for me.

However, longtime Video Station clerk David “really loved it”, and perhaps you should listen to him. I’m not a huge fan of the western genre, to which this film belongs (or is at least akin to), and I didn’t appreciate the banjo music as much as some other viewers might.

Despite my caveats, as I started to say in the beginning of this review, these three main actors are well worth checking out. The film and its actors have gotten nominated for many awards for this movie, including a Best Actor nomination for Robert Duvall by the Screen Actors Guild.

Speaking of Duvall, if you like one of those heartful dramas, take home Wrestling Ernest Hemingway. Here Duvall and Richard Harris play 70-somethings who have retired in Florida and strike up an unlikely friendship.

The last word on Get Low is that in the Special Features there’s a pretty interesting Q & A with Bob Duvall, Sissy, Bill, and the director Aaron Schneider at the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Always great to see these legends in their civilians. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Mystery

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 2/22/11

The story is thus: Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play self-absorbed, in-love yuppies who always spend Christmas apart from their respective families. This year, though, their flight to Fiji is cancelled, and they are coaxed into a visit to each of their four parents’ households. Much levity and dysfunctional family humor ensue. I haven’t really liked Vince Vaughn too much since Swingers, but his character does have ample chemistry with that of Reese Witherspoon’s, and Reese is, as always, really fun to watch.

But there were parts of Four Christmases that were decidedly unfunny for me. One of many examples of this would be a baby being forcefully knocked in the head.

What did appeal to me were the supporting performances of Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, and Jon Voight (his soliloquy on family sounded like a personal message to his daughter, Angelina Jolie). And if that weren’t enough, you also have Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Kristen Chenoweth and Dwight Yoakam. I first really noticed Dwight’s acting chops in Slingblade, where he was villainous and amazing, and then later in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Four Christmases is worth seeing for these actors alone.

There are two other redeeming factors, if you need ‘em. One is the, of course, happy ending. The other is that after seeing this level of family madness, our own families don’t seem so bad. I still prefer holiday movies like Home for the Holidays and Pieces of April much more than Four Christmases, but check out these seasoned actors, and kick off the holiday season with a fluff movie peppered with some deeper messages. – [DVD]

Comedy/Drama/Romance

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 11/24/09